Loki's Heart
by LokisKat13
Summary: Loki is stripped of his powers and banished to Midgard. The only way for Loki to regain his powers is for him to earn them. Enter Lily-Rose, a young woman with a painful past. I'm sure this has been done before, but oh well. Read and review!
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Loki stood before Odin, his eyes glued to the polished marble of the throne room, while the Allfather gazed at him with an unreadable expression on his ancient face. His wrists were still bound in shackles, the metal chafing painfully against his skin.

_"What is he going to do with me?"_ Loki thought, daring a glance at Odin.

As soon as Thor had arrived with the Tesseract and Loki in tow, Loki had been kept under lock and key, guarded at all times. That is, until an hour ago, when he had been brought before Odin. Up until that moment, Loki hadn't felt afraid; he hadn't felt anything but boredom. Now, sitting before the Allfather, Loki was doing all he could not to visibly tremble.

"You have done unspeakable things," Odin spoke at last, his voice low. "You have threatened all that Asgardians hold dear and protect. Have you anything to say in your defense?"

Loki lowered his head, his green eyes closed as if in pain. He couldn't think of anything to say.

"How could you act so, Loki?" Odin hissed suddenly, glaring at his adoptive son with his one eye. "How could you betray us? Thor would never-"

"Thor! All you can see is Thor!" Loki exploded, glaring up at Odin. "Your precious Thor! The chosen one, the favorite son! You should've thrown me from the Bifrost when you took me from Jotunheim!" He was shaking from anger now, glaring up at the Allfather.

"Enough!" Odin thundered, standing from his throne. "I took you in as my own son, loved you as my own-"

"You never loved me!" Loki almost shrieked.

Odin continued as if never interrupted. "-raised you to be a good man, not the creature that stands before me!"

"Creature? Yes, that's what I am, _Father_," Loki sneered, his cheeks bright with exertion, "a creature who was never worthy of your love!"

Odin stormed forward and struck Loki under his jaw, sending the demi-god flying. Loki landed a few yards away, his black hair falling in his face as he slowly stood, his wrists raw from the cuffs, his jaw throbbing.

Odin approached him slowly, furry written all over his face. "Stand up!" he growled.

Loki straightened, glaring. Odin stood directly in front of him, towering over him. "Do you hate me so-"

He was cut off as Odin's fist struck him again; he kept his balance this time, his head whipping violently to his right. He straightened almost instantly, only for Odin to strike him in the exact same spot. This time, he fell to one knee, his hair completely blocking his view of the Allfather. He raised his shackled hands to his mouth when he tasted blood. Pulling his hands away from his stinging lips, he saw the bright smear of blood on his fingertips.

He spat, staining his teeth red, and looked up to Odin. "That make you feel better?" he sneered, infuriating Odin even more. The Allfather punched him again, his solid fist blackening Loki's left eye. Grunting, Loki let his body fall, spraying blood across the alabaster stone as his cheek smacked against the floor.

"You are banished henceforth, Loki Laufeyson," Odin boomed, kneeling to place his palm on Loki's shoulder, "until you are worthy of return to Asgard. I, Odin Allfather, strip you of your powers and cast you out!"

Loki felt a burning coming from Odin's hand as the Allfather spoke. He turned his head to look at the god as hi finished speaking, his eyes full of pain and hatred. "No…" he whispered as he felt the pull of the banishment, sucking his body into a vortex that crushed him from all sides. Time seemed to slow and colors blurred as Loki writhed in pain, suffocating in the swirling emptiness. He tried to scream, but no sound escaped him it felt like he was being torn apart and smothered at the same time. Just as he thought he could take no more, his body slammed into the ground, sinking into the mud as rain pelted him. Lightning blinded him as it struck the tree that he landed next to.

Every muscle in his body screamed at him. He opened his one unbruised eye and stared at the sky. Pain deafened him as he began to sink into the land of unconsciousness. The last thing he saw were a pair of bright cobalt eyes that were full of fear.

Lily-Rose sat on her back porch, curled up in a handmade quilt her grandmother had made for her years ago, listening to the rain. Her shift at the animal shelter had been difficult and draining; she had come home and fallen asleep on the couch. Thunder had woken her up nearly three hours later, and she had wrapped herself in the quilt and gone to sit on the screened-in back porch.

The downpour had lulled her into a trance as she stared off into space, not thinking about anything, just enjoying the melodic rhythm. Every now and then songs; more often than not, she just enjoyed the storm's sounds.

Just as she was getting up to go inside, a flash of lightning nearly blinded her as it struck her grandmother's favorite tree. She uttered a little scream that was drowned out by the roaring boom of thunder. Lily-Rose clapped her hands over her ears like she did as a little girl and dropped to the floor, curling into a ball as the thunder rolled and echoed in the sky.

After a moment, she uncovered her ears. What she heard made her jump to her feet; the agonized yell of a man in severe pain. She dropped the quilt and darted for the door that lead to the open yard. There, partially covered by the fallen tree-limb, was a man.

"Oh, God!" she gasped, racing into the rain. She dropped to her knees as she neared him and slid in the mud. "Don't be dead, please!" She chanted this over and over as she stared at him.

He'd finally stopped screaming as he drifted unconscious. Lily-Rose saw that his face was badly bruised; his left eye was swollen shut and his lip was bleeding, but her was breathing.

"Thank God!" she sighed, moving to lift him to a sitting position. That's when she noticed his clothes: a hand-spun green shirt and gray breeches. At the knees and elbows were metal plates stitched to the fabric. She pushed this new information aside and tried to lift him. When that failed, she tried to drag him. Slipping several times, she finally managed to get him to the porch.

After she got him in the shelter of the screened-in room, she dropped to her knees beside him, catching her breath. Though he wasn't bulky or overly-large, he was still heavy enough to drain her. She crawled forward to sit beside the man's head. She raised a trembling hand and brushed the soaked clumps of hair off his face. What she saw took her breath away.

He was beautiful! Even with his face smeared with blood and mud, he was gorgeous and easily the best-looking man Lily-Rose had ever seen. He had high, sharp cheek-bones and a narrow nose, his lips were thin. His jaw was sharp and angled. Even with his face bruised, he took her breath away. She wondered what color his eyes were as she stood and hurried inside to grab two towels. While in the bathroom, she quickly stripped off the mud-caked scrubs and snatched up the towels, rushing back to his side clad in her biking shorts and a cotton tank top, both of which were damp.

Using one towel as a pillow to cradle his head, she quickly pulled off his shirt, not wanting him to get sick from the soaking wet clothes. She used the towel to dry his torso as best as she could. Then, closing her eyes and praying he had on some kind of underwear, she pulled off his pants and dropped them with a wet plop next to his shirt. Taking a deep breath, she quickly opened then closed her eyes to check if he was bare or not. When she saw that he had on a pair of black undershorts, she opened her eyes again and dried off his legs with the towel.

Once her task was done, she sat back away from the strange man who had appeared in her backyard. She brushed her damp strawberry hair out of her eyes and took a deep breath. "What do I do with you?" she asked aloud, needing to hear a voice.

She considered calling the police, but decided against it, knowing that it'd be her ex that was patrolling the area. She thought of calling an ambulance, but thought that **she'd** be the one taken away when said explained, "Yeah, this half-dead, gorgeous man appeared out of nowhere. He's now almost naked on my porch. What was that, ma'am? Do I take meds? No…"

Lily-Rose stood and knelt over her unconscious guest. "Guess you're staying here until I can figure something out," she told him. Taking a deep breath, she used s sudden burst of strength to lift him. She carefully maneuvered his body to where it draped over her back. She wrapped his arms around her and clutched his elbows, taking slow steps inside. She could feel his heart beating steadily against her back as she carried him to the back bedroom, his feet dragging the floor. She paused for a moment, reaching out quickly to turn on the lights. Her legs were beginning to shake as she used the last of her strength to drop him of the twin daybed.

She collapsed on the mattress next to him, her entire body trembling from exertion. _"Lifting all the animal food bags has actually paid off,"_ she thought as she glanced at the man. Now that all the heavy lifting was out of the way, she inspected his body in proper light. She blushed as her gaze lingered on his toned chest and stomach. _"He's ripped!"_ she thought. Her eyes ran over the jagged scar on his upper bicep, as well as the matching one on his opposite ribs. They looked like they'd been haphazardly stitched together.

Deciding that she didn't want to struggle with his body weight again, Lily-Rose stood and got a thick blanket from the closet. After making sure he wasn't going to fall, Lily-Rose covered him with the blanket. As she was closing the door, she suddenly locked it from the outside, feeling just a little bit safer knowing she'd have some warning.

Sighing, she retrieved his muddy clothes from the outside, along with her grandmother's quilt, taking care to keep them separate. She let the quilt fall onto the couch before she went through her kitchen to the utility room, where her ancient washer and drier were located. After letting the washing machine fill with soapy water, she put the man's clothes in the water to soak. She walked to her bathroom and stripped completely. After pulling on her faded pink robe, she gathered her dirty clothes and deposited them in the washer with her guest's.

She glanced at the clock as she walked back to her bathroom. The glowing green letters told her it was nearing one: thirty in the morning. Feeling utterly exhausted, she fixed the shower water. When she caught sight of her reflection, she gasped. Her makeup was terrible! Her eyeliner had smeared and her mascara had run in black streaks down her cheeks. Her lipstick looked like a clown put it on. Groaning, she dropped the robe and jumped beneath the scalding water, scrubbing her face before she started washing her tangled hair.

After spending several long minutes beneath the steady beat of the showerhead, she turned off the water and dried off. Wrapped in a towel, she peaked out the door to make sure the man hadn't woken during her shower. She quickly pulled on a pair of pajama pants and a light pink t-shirt. She checked the washer to see if the cycle was done, poked her head in one her unconscious guest, then happily crawled into her large bed, slipping tiredly between the jersey sheets.

Within minutes, she was asleep, her dreams filled with thunder, lightning, and the dark-haired stranger.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The first thing Loki became conscious of was that he was still alive. Then the pain struck him like a herd of Bilgesnipe; his muscles all seized up, his joints locked, his very bones seemed to shriek in protest to his awakening. He groaned, cringing as he forced himself to sit up. A thick, soft blanket fell from his bare chest, and he opened his eyes. He looked around the unfamiliar room, his heart rate increasing slightly.

"Odin, where did you send me?" he whispered. Then the entire ordeal came back to him; his own words, Odin's blows, his banishment. He gingerly used one hand to test his left eye, which was swollen almost shut. With his tongue, he probed the tender cut on his lip, wincing at the sting.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the pain. He glanced down at his body, a little shocked to see that his clothes were missing. He was clad only in his silk undershorts. He closed his eyes, waiting to feel the slight tingle his magic usually brought. It didn't come. He opened his eyes again, his anger rising.

"No…" he hissed, standing. "You can't do this to me!" His voice had progressed to a yell as he glared at the ceiling. "Odin, you give me my powers back!"

There was no answer. Loki roared in anger, throwing aside the blanket. He moved to the door and tried to turn the handle. It wouldn't budge. He snarled, pounding on the door with his fist, ignoring the raw skin on his wrists. "Let me out of this prison!" he roared, continuing his pounding. "Release me!"

Lily-Rose woke with a start, her hair a tangled halo around her face. At first she was confused, then she heard the pounding and yelling.

_"Don't have to worry about him feeling bad,"_ she thought sarcastically as she pulled on her robe and hurried to the back room.

"Let me out, I say!" the man was yelling as he pounded on the door.

"Stop it!" Lily-Rose yelled through the door, tying the sash around her waist.

"You release me from this prison no!" the man yelled.

"If you calm down, I can let you out," she called back, her heart rate running wild.

"Make haste, woman!" he yelled, though he did stop his pounding.

"Step away from the door!" Lily-Rose said, both her hands on the knob, ready to unlock it.

"Fine!" she heard him growl.

After another moment, during which the man was silent, Lily-Rose unlocked the door and pushed it open. She barely had time to register that he was standing openly in his undershorts when he tried to lunge past her. Reacting on her self defense classes, she grabbed his right arm. She bent her knees, her hip catching the man's upper thigh. Using his own weight against him, she easily launched him head-over-heels by straightening her knees. He landed on his back, the breath pushed from his lungs.

Lily-Rose still had a grip on his arm, so when he rolled over to try and stand, she quickly entwined him in a headlock, her body pressed against his back as he yelled and tried to get free.

"If you don't hold still, you'll only end up hurting yourself!" she yelled at him.

"Release me!" he roared.

"Calm down!"

Suddenly, and much to her surprise, the man was able to stand. _"Holy crow!"_ she thought. As she felt her grip slipping, she wrapped her legs around the man's chest, locking her ankles and securing her grip around his right arm and neck.

"Woman, release me!" he yelled in a somewhat strangled voice.

"Calm yourself and I'll let you go!" she demanded, her face buried in his hair, which, she couldn't help but notice, smelled intoxicating.

After a moment, he stopped struggling and Lily-Rose relaxed her hold on him, unlocking her ankles and releasing his neck and arms. She slowly slid down his back. Her arms began to tingle from gripping him so hard. He stumbled back into her for a second, then jerked his body away, turning to face her.

They stood there, each leaning on opposite walls, staring at each other and breathing heavily.

Loki stared at this woman through his one good eye, completely baffled. _"No woman has ever gotten the better of me,"_ he thought, _"especially a human woman!"_ His heart was pounding in his chest.

"Your face is looking better," the woman remarked, causing Loki to sit up straighter, pushing his back off the wall. He stared at her harder, not trusting her at all. She blushed under his gaze, and he felt a sense of advantage. "I-I mean, last night, it was a mess."

He squinted at her for a moment. "You took care of me?" he asked.

She nodded. "Of course. How could I leave an obviously injured man lying in the mud?"

For some reason, her words angered him. She thought him weak! How dare she? He was the God of Mischief! He was not weak! "I would've been fine, woman," he snapped, walking down the hallway, his back to her.

"Hold up!" she called to him, stepping to his side. "Where do you think you're going?"

He laughed once. "Wherever I feel," he said. He looked at her in mock amusement. "I'm a god. I do what I want."

Lily-Rose couldn't help it. She started laughing. "A god? Really? You mean, like 'God's gift to women'?"

He gave her a look and she abruptly stopped laughing.

"You can't be serious," she said, jumping in front of him to stop him from walking. He ran into her and they almost fell over.

"Watch yourself, woman," he said, glaring.

She ignored his comment. "A god?" she urged, her hands half reaching out in front of her towards him.

"Yes," he said, rolling his eyes. "Now allow me to exit."

"Wait a second," she said, blocking him again. "Just, please, explain it to me." When it looked like he was about to leave again, she grabbed his arm. "At least wait for your clothes to dry. You can't walk around like…that." Her gaze roamed over his bare chest, and she felt a blush spread across her cheeks.

He seemed to be considering his options. "Fine," he conceded. "I shall wait for my things." He glanced pointedly at his arm, which Lily-Rose was still holding.

She blushed again and quickly let him go. "Uhm…w-would you like something to eat?" She stepped back from him a bit, remembering the manners her grandmother had drilled into her for years.

"No," he said, turning from her and sitting in her leather recliner.

She stared at him. _"Lovely manners,"_ she thought as she unfolded a blanket from the back of her couch. She handed it to him. "Here."

He raised an eyebrow and looked up at her. "What is this for?"

She cleared her throat. "I figured you'd want to, ya know…cover yourself," she explained, blushing.

He smirked at her. "Does it bother you, seeing my body?" he asked, his green eyes watching her.

Lily-Rose turned away, tossing the blanket on the couch. She took a deep breath and sat down. They stared at each other for a long while, almost as if trying to size each other up.

Finally, Lily-Rose broke the silence. "You said you were a god?"

Loki propped his elbows on the arm of the leather chair, folding his fingers in front of his face. "Yes, I am a god. Loki, son of Odin and Frigga, brother to Thor," he said, the lie he believed all his life coming easily to his lips. "I am known as the God of Mischief, Trickery, and Lies."

The woman stared at him, her startling blue eyes wide. "You're joking, right? This…this is a joke," she said, a half smile one her lips.

"No, I assure you, it's not," Loki said, smiling sarcastically at her. "I am Loki Odinson, and who might you be?"

She shook her head ever so slightly and sighed. "Lily-Rose DeRusha," she said, looking into the empty fireplace. "Uhm…please excuse me for a moment?" Without waiting for a reply, she stood and walked into another room, leaving Loki sitting there alone.

He looked around the large room, not really seeing it. _"How am I going to get to Asgard?"_ he thought. _"For that matter, how am I going to get my powers back?"_

He was so lost in thought, he didn't see Lily-Rose return with his clothes.

"…got the mud all out, thankfully," she was saying, holding out his things.

"Thank you," he said, not meaning it. He stood and was about to pull on his breeches when she cleared her throat.

"You can get dressed in the back room," she suggested.

_"Shy creature, isn't she?"_ Loki laughed to himself before walking back to the room he'd awoken in. The woman, Lily-Rose, did not follow, and he shut the door behind him. He pulled on his shirt, stretching his aching muscles while doing so. As he was pulling up his breeches, he caught a glimpse of his face in a small hanging mirror. Though his face looked terrible, he knew Odin had held back. _"Why, though?"_ he thought. _"Why would Odin hold back? He hates me."_ He pushed aside his thoughts as he looked at himself. His left eye was swollen and a deep purple bruise marred the skin around it. His lip was cut, and his jaw was bruised, but he would heal.

Shaking his head, he brushed his hair back with his fingers and quietly opened the door. With silent footsteps, he walked down the hallway to the now empty living room. He looked around for the woman, who was not to be found. He saw that the door to what he assumed was her bedroom was closed.

_"Now is the perfect time to make my exit,"_ he thought.

He quickly snuck to the back door, the door farthest from her bedroom, and slipped outside. He quietly walked over to the tree that he'd fallen beneath and saw the indention of his body in the ground. He glared at it before walking to the road. _"I'll figure a way off this desolate place,"_ he thought as he walked bare-footed along the pavement.

After the man who claimed to be Loki had gone to change, Lily-Rose had hurried to her bathroom. Once there, she quickly brushed her sleep-tangled hair and began brushing her teeth.

_"Can I believe him?"_ she asked herself as she pulled out a pair of thick jeans and a dark green shirt. _"He honestly believes he is the god of mischief. Is he crazy?"_ She thought back to his sudden attack when she'd opened his door. _"He is obviously not right in the head."_

As soon as she was dressed, she went to the living room, expecting to see Loki there. When he wasn't, she went to the back bedroom and knocked on the closed door. There was no answer. "Loki?" she called, knocking again. Again, nothing. She took a deep breath and opened the door. There was nothing expect the rumpled bedding.

She left, springing to the kitchen. "Loki?"

No answer. That's when she noticed her porch door was open.

_"Oh, great,"_ she thought, slipping on a pair of ratty tennis shoes and running outside. She glanced around, slightly worried. "Loki?" she called, running to the front yard and glancing up and down the street. There was no sign of him.

Feeling a little guilty, Lily-Rose went back inside. She looked around her house, feeling a little lost, then went to the back bedroom. Once there, she straightened up the bedspread and began folding the blanket. As she was holding it to her chest, she caught his scent on it. Slightly dark and sinister, it also had a tang that warmed her blood. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, wrapping her arms around the blanket. She could almost see him.

Suddenly, an echoing crash of thunder made her jump and drop the blanket. _"What are you doing, acting like a love-sick school girl with a crush!"_ she chided herself. Still blushing, she folded the blanket and shoved it in the hall closet. Just as she shut the door, rain started pelting the roof. She glanced out the window nervously.

"All right, that's it!" she said. She pulled her hair back into a pony-tail and grabbed her keys, heading to the garage. _"I can't let him wander the streets alone in this!"_ she told herself.

Loki had begun running as soon as his feet hit the pavement, hoping to put as much distance as he could between him and the woman. He needed to find a place to contact Heimdall, though he knew the Guardian of the Gate wouldn't answer. He also didn't want the Avengers to find him.

As he ran, he noticed that there were very few houses around, mostly just trees and fields. _"Where did this woman live?"_ he thought to himself, ignoring the rocks that jabbed at the soles of his feet.

Lost in thought, he didn't feel the temperature drop, nor did he see the clouds roll across the sky. As rain began to fall, he shot a glare up to the heavens. _"You're laughing at my misfortune now, aren't you?"_ he thought angrily, the cool rain feeling good on his black eye.

A booming roar of thunder caused him to jump, twisting his ankle. He fell into a ditch, splashing in the mud. He looked up, expecting to see Thor standing there, as per usual following thunder. Instead, there was nothing. Nothing but the steady hiss of the rain and the echoes of thunder. Ignoring the disappointment that filled him, Loki stood. As he stepped down, a sudden and severe pain caused him to drop back onto his backside. Sticking out of his mud-covered right foot was a half-circle of jagged glass. Blood began streaking from around it, mixing with the sludge on his foot.

He growled and glared at the sky. "Damn you, Odin!" he roared, blinking through the rain. "Damn you, and your family!"

Lightning and thunder flashed, drowning out Loki's curses.

Lily-Rose sat in her car at the end of her driveway, looking left and right, wondering which way to go. If she went the wrong way, she might never find him. A clap of thunder caused her to jump a little, and she turned right, hoping she chose the correct direction.

She drove slow, partly because of the intensity of the rain, mostly because she was looking for the man who called himself Loki Odinson. The windshield wipers on her car worked furiously, trying to keep the window clear. She kept her eyes glued to the areas beside the road.

"Why are you even doing this?" she asked herself aloud. "You don't even know the guy!"

_"But you'd feel guilty if you didn't at least try to find him,"_ she thought.

"Yes, but he's insane!" she said. "He thinks he's a god!"

_"And? You'll just feel even more guilty for leaving him in this!"_

She suddenly started laughing. "Well, if he **is** insane, then we make a good pair, because I'm arguing with myself!" She continued laughing, her head aching slightly. She shivered, her right tires splashing in a puddle. "Where is he?" she worried, scanning the road side.

She had been driving for nearly thirty minutes, the rain pounding steadily. She was just about to give up when she rounded a corner and almost hit him as he limped in the road. She skidded to a stop, jumping out of the car.

'Loki, what are you doing?" she yelled over the rain. He ignored her and kept limping along. "What happened? Why are you limping?" Still no answer. "Look, just get in the car, and I'll take care of you when we get home."

He whirled on her, his good eye glaring. "I don't need you to take care of me!" he snarled. "I am a god!"

Lily-Rose took another step towards him, then stopped, the wind whipping her rain-soaked hair around her face. She gazed at him, her cobalt eyes blazing. "Even gods need help, Loki," she said, her voice barely carrying to him.

He stared at her, and Lily-Rose was afraid he'd yell at her some more. She was thoroughly shocked when she saw him practically sag in defeat. "All right," he said, his voice low. He began limping towards the passenger door. When Lily-Rose reached out to help him, he jerked his arm away.

Sighing, Lily-Rose climbed into the driver's seat, buckling her seatbelt. She gave Loki a pointed look and he did the same, grumbling to himself. She put the car in reverse and quickly turned around in the deserted road. She turned the heater on, aiming the vents at both her and Loki, who was again dripping with mud.

"How did you get so dirty?" she asked him, her eyes focused on the road. "And what happened to your foot?"

He didn't answer her, just glared at the window. Lily-Rose sighed. "You know, it **is** acceptable for you to talk to me," she said. "It won't hurt."

_"'It won't hurt'," _her voice echoed in his head as they arrived back at her home. By this time, it had stopped raining. He was starting to warm up, thanks to the heater in her car. His foot still throbbed painfully, and he was certain there were still shards of glass still imbedded in his flesh. But that wasn't as painful as his realization that he was alone, completely and utterly alone. Even when he was fighting the Avengers, he still had his own army. Now, he had no one.

"You can take your muddy clothes off out here," Lily-Rose said, blushing. He'd noticed that she blushed quite often. "I'll bring you a blanket to wrap in. Then we'll take care of your foot."

They pulled into the garage, and she shut the door. Loki slowly exited the car, wincing as he stepped on his injured foot. He watched the woman as she removed her shoes. She turned to him.

"I'll, erm…I'll be right back with your blanket," she said, going into the house.

Loki watched her go, amazed that a human could be so caring, especially to a stranger. After she'd shut the door, he pulled off his sopping shirt. He let it fall with a wet plop to the cement floor. He pulled his breeches down and sat on the hood of the car to tug them off his ankles. He tossed the garment with his shirt and waited for the woman to return. He closed his eyes and ran one hand through his hair, separating the soaked tendrils.

"Here you go," the woman said as she opened the door. She held out the blanket he'd slept under the night before.

He took it and wrapped it around his shoulders and stood, towering over her.

"Just have a seat in the kitchen," she said, walking backwards into the house. Loki followed her, ignoring the pain his foot was causing him. "I'll be back with the first aid kit." She disappeared, leaving him in the kitchen.

He sat in one of the wooden chairs, leaning back and stretching his long legs out in front of him. He gazed around the room, noticing that everything was kept completely spotless. His muddy feet caused smears of dirt on the immaculate floor. He smiled, pleased slightly to have disrupted something.

Lily-Rose came back in the room, a box under one arm, clean towels in the other. She set her load on the table and began filling a large bowl with warm water. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" she asked, her back to him.

Loki refused to look at her, pulling the blanket tighter around him. "A glass bottle," he said at length, lowering his head. His drying hair shifted into his face.

"You stepped on it?" she asked, carrying a near-full bowl to the floor in front of him. She took a rag and dropped it in the water.

"I'll have to check and see if any glass is still in the wound," she said, mostly to herself.

He said nothing as she squeezed out the excess water from the rag and began cleaning his injured foot over the towel. He was slightly shocked at how gentle she was being with him. _"If she only knew of the things I've done,"_ he thought, _"she'd never even touch me."_ She ran the rag up to his shin, washing off the mud. After his leg was clean, she looked at the bottom of his foot, wiping away the blood.

"I can get the glass out," she said, running the back of her hand across her forehead. "Then I'll have to stitch it up." She glanced up and he met her piercing eyes. "Is that all right with you?"

He nodded. _"If Odin hadn't taken my powers, I'd already be healed by now,"_ he thought. As the woman began removing the shards of glass with a pair of metal tweezers, he let his thoughts wander, ignoring the pain. He drifted off into a daze, half asleep, half awake as his thoughts took him back to his childhood memories.

Thor was nearly twelve, Loki ten. The thunder godling was playing with what was a smaller version of his mighty Mjolnir. Loki, even at that young age, was completely different from his brother in every way, including appearance. But he loved his brother wholly, and he'd always looked up to his father.

Loki shook his head, trying to get rid of his thoughts.

"Sorry," the woman said, having mistaken his movement as one brought on from pain. "So…Loki…where do you live?" she asked as she continued working on his injury.

"I have no home," was his reply. He crossed his arms across his chest.

She looked up at him in surprise. "Really? You have nowhere to live?" He shook his head. "What about your family?"

"I have no family near here," he said. "My mother and father live on Asgard with my brother, Thor."

Lily-Rose suddenly sat up, her eyes wide. "Thor?" she repeated. "Thos, as in the God of Thunder, Thor?"

She watched as his eyes grew cold. "Yes, that Thor," he said in an icy voice.

"I thought Darcy was full of it when she told me that story!" she exclaimed. "My cousin, Darcy, works with Jane Foster! She met Thor a few months ago!"

Her head was spinning. Can he really be a god?

"You're really Thor's brother?" she asked, watching him carefully.

He gazed at her warily. "Yes. I am Loki Odinson, brother to Thor Odinson." He leaned forward, stopping only when their faces were mere inches apart. "Do you believe me now?"

Lily-Rose felt her breath catch in her throat as the gorgeous god stared at her with his brilliant eyes. "Yes," she whispered, her heart pounding. "You are a god. I believe you."

He sad back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest again.

"Wait, why can't you heal yourself then?" she asked, gesturing to his foot, then to his face.

"I was cursed, and my powers were stolen from me," he said, gazing evenly at her.

"Oh," was all she could think to say. She resumed stitching up his wound. They sat in silence for a while. After she finished his stitches, she put antibacterial cream on the wounds then wrapped a bandage around it. As she was cleaning off his other foot, she stole quick glances up at him. He was staring out the window, his arms still folded across his chest.

"You know," she began tentatively, "you can stay here if you'd like."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Lily-Rose woke early the next day, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She sat up, stretching, and quickly kicked the covers from her. The night before replayed in her mind.

_"You know, you can stay here if you'd like," she'd said. Loki just stared at her like she'd grown two extra heads. "Since you have nowhere to go, I mean. Why not stay here until you can get back to Asgard?"_

_After a few minutes of consideration, Loki finally agreed._

_"Tomorrow, we'll get you some clothes, then you'll come to work with me," Lily-Rose said._

_"Work?" Loki said the word like it was foreign. _

_"Yes," Lily-Rose said. "So you can help with the groceries, your own clothes, all that stuff."_

Their argument had lasted for nearly an hour before Lily-Rose had finally proven her point. After dinner that night (which Loki ate four plates of), she told him to get rest because they'd be getting an early start.

Smiling, she swung her legs out of bed and skipped to the bathroom, turning on the water for her shower. She quickly stripped down and jumped beneath the water, enjoying the way the warmth work her up. As she lathered the shampoo in her hair, she made a mental note to call Darcy later.

She finished her shower routine and stepped out onto the bathmat, wrapping a towel around her body.

"You have a great deal of scars," Loki said from the doorway, causing Lily-Rose to scream and spin around to face him.

"Loki!" she gasped, her face a deep red blushing.

"Yes?" he asked in an amused voice.

"What are you doing in here?" she demanded. "You don't barge in on someone while they're in the shower!" She pointed toward the door, waiting for him to leave. When he only gave her that smirk of his, she growled and began pushing him towards the door, one hand holding her towel in place.

He started laughing. "All right, all right, I'm going!" he said through his chuckled.

She pushed him out of her room and slammed the door, locking it. Still blushing, she began to get dressed, trying to forget the warm feeling she had in her stomach.

Loki couldn't help but laugh at Lily-Rose's frustration. He found it amusing that she got so worked up over him seeing her without her clothes. In Asgard, women who looked like that were all but worshipped for their beauty.

He woke this morning to find that his cut lip had completely healed, as had the bruise on his jaw. His eye was no longer swollen, and only had a faint hint of a healing bruise around it. When he checked his cut foot, he laughed to find it completely gone, the stitches useless now. He found a sharp knife in the kitchen and quickly cut them out.

Wanting to share the news of his healing with Lily-Rose, he'd gone to her room, only to find her bed empty. Sounds of the shower running and Lily-Rose humming lead him to the bathroom, where she was just wrapping the towel around herself. That's when he noticed the scars on her upper forearms and thighs.

Her reaction was distracting, and by the time she'd driven him from her room, he'd forgotten all about it. Instead of waiting there for her to exit her room, he walked to the kitchen, his shirt draped over one arm. He plucked a pear from the bowl of fruit on the counter. He pulled his shirt on before biting into the succulent fruit, the juices dripping down his chin. From the other room, he heard Lily-Rose's door open. He smiled as she stomped into the kitchen, glaring at him. "Good morning, dear Lily," he said, smirking at her.

"It's Lily-Rose," she said, shooting him a glare.

"Forgive my mistake, Lily-Rose," he said, dropping into a bow. He raised his head slightly, his hair framing his face. He looked at her, watching her glare break into a grin as she watched him. "I wanted to show you something."

She glanced at him as she chose a small apple as her breakfast. "Yeah?" she asked.

He nodded and smiled, shaking his hair back. When her eyes widened, so did his grin.

"Your face—"

"Yep!" he smiled brightly, his eyes gleaming. "This means that it is possible for me to get my powers back."

Lily-Rose stepped up to him, looking at his jaw, his lip, his eye. "Let me see your foot," she said excitedly.

Chuckling, he held up his right foot so she could see that the wound was gone.

"Loki, this is amazing!" she exclaimed, running her thumb over the completely unmarked flesh. She looked up when he laughed and jerked his foot away.

"That tickled," he said. Both of them smiled. "So, Lily-Rose. What is first?"

She took a bite of her apple, brushing her drying hair out of her eyes. "Well, first thing, we need to get you some clothes," she said. "Then we've got to get your paperwork filled out at work." At her words, Loki grimaced. "Oh, come on! It won't be that bad. It'll do you good to be around people."

Loki just rolled his eyes comically, which caused Lily-Rose to laugh a bit.

She tossed him a pair of flip-flops that were too big for her. She about started laughing all over again at the confused look on his face.

"What are these?" he asked, holding one in each hand. He arched an eyebrow at her.

"They're shoes," she said, holding back laughter.

"Shoes?" He looked at her doubtfully.

After showing Loki how to wear the flip-flops, she hurried him into her car. She slipped on a pair of sunglasses and started the engine. As they drove, Lily-Rose sang along with some of the songs on the country station.

"I never even asked," she said suddenly, "how old are you?"

Loki looked at her, thinking. "Hmm…we never really measured ages…" he said. "I know I'm two years younger than Thor."

"You don't look like you're older than 35, but not as young at 25," she said. "Also, what month were you born?"

He just shrugged. "Winter is all I know."

She sighed, but continued smiling. "Okay, how about February 9, 1981?" she asked. "That would make you 31. Is that all right?"

Loki resumed his gaze out the window. "Fine with me," he said.

It took them nearly an hour to get to the shopping center. By the time they arrived, the parking lot was already packed. Lily-Rose sighed and parked, killing the engine. "Guess we're walking," she said.

Loki followed her into the building. As they headed towards the men's section, they were attracting many stares. Or, rather, Loki was. And Lily-Rose could see why, as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He was tall, nearly 6'2" of solid, lean muscle. His black hair was brushed back, giving the world a look at his magnificent eyes. They sharp angles of his face only made him more gorgeous, his thin lips almost constantly arched in a smirk that taunted everyone.

Oh, yeah. Lily-Rose could **definitely** understand why he was getting looks.

She held up a shirt for him to decide on, a dark green one. He draped it over his arm. When she held up a red one, he instantly shook his head. They spent the next hour selecting clothes for him to try on. After he narrowed down his selection, Lily-Rose took him over to get shoes. She chose three pair; a pair of black Nikes, a set of steel-toed boots, and a pair of glossy black dress shoes. They also got a few packs of boxers and socks.

"All right, now we need to get food," Lily-Rose told him. He simply nodded, ignoring the group of teenage girls that were staring at him openly.

_"Jeez, people,"_ she thought. _"You act like you've never seen a god before."_ She gave one woman a glare as they walked past.

"So," she said, slipping her arm through his as she pushed their cart one-handed. "Anything in particular you'd like?"

"Chocolate," he said almost instantly, causing her to laugh. He'd attacked her stash of Ferrero Rocher's chocolate the night before.

"All right," she said, shaking her head. "But don't eat it all at once."

Lily-Rose was completely surprised by the sudden change in Loki's behavior. It was like he had a different personality. He'd gone from being a recluse and not even talking to her, to constantly smiling and making her laugh.

As their cart began to fill, Lily-Rose checked the clock on her phone. They had just enough time to get home and unpack everything before heading to work at the animal shelter/hospital.

"Is it just me," Loki said, throwing his arm around her shoulders., "or are there a rather large amount of people staring at us?"

Lily-Rose laughed, ducking from under his half-embrace. "No 'us', Loki," she informed him. "You."

Loki looked around, catching many people, mostly women, gazing at him. _"Typical, pathetic mortals,"_ he thought, smiling smugly. _"Ruled by their hormones."_

He stood in line next to the woman. _"Lily-Rose,"_ he told himself. _"She gets angry if addressed by any other name."_

He watched the other shoppers with no real interest as Lily-Rose paid for their things. The behavior of mortals both fascinated and appalled him. The way the young children screamed and demanded attention, the lustful gazes of the women (including those there with their husbands); it turned his stomach.

"Ready to go?" Lily-Rose interrupted his thoughts, and he turned to her, putting on his most appealing smile. He'd decided that he had a better chance of finding his was back to Asgard if he stayed with her.

"Only if you are," he said, half bowing to her.

As they walked back to her vehicle, Lily-Rose said, "Did you see the way the cashier was looking at you?" She laughed. "I think she drooled on my change!"

Loki forced an amused chuckle. "But of course. No mortal can withstand the beauty of a god," he said, his eyes twinkling at her. He chuckled again when she rolled her eyes. Once they reached her car, she began piling their purchases into the trunk while he stood by his door.

"You know," she said after a minute, "you can give me a hand here."

Loki laughed, genuinely amused by her suggestion. Lily-Rose gave him a look and went back to loading the bags. Finally, she unlocked the doors. Loki slid into his seat, stretching out his legs. The shoes, flip-flops she'd called them, hurt his feet.

While they drove, he let his mind clear, his body relaxing. He closed his eyes, taking deep, even breaths. _"I still have some of my abilities,"_ he thought. _"Maybe, after time, all of them will return."_ He felt the corners of his lips arch up into a smirk. _"Then I can get back to Asgard, and repay Odin for this hell."_

Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't noticed them pulling into the driveway. "Are you getting out?" Lily-Rose asked. "You need to change."

Loki exited her car, and she handed him the bags with his new clothes and shoes. "You can take the larger spare room, if you want," she told him. "Just try to hurry up, or we'll be late."

Loki nodded and carried his things to the room opposite the one he'd slept in. it was larger, and had a queen-sized four-poster bed, a crisp white comforter on the mattress. Up against one of the walls was a sturdy-looking chest of drawers. Loki dropped the bags on his new bed, stripping off his Agardian underclothes and pulling on a pair of gray shorts the package labeled 'boxer-briefs'. He tore open the plastic package of socks, pulling a pair of soft black ones on.

He then looked through his other bags, searching for what Lily-Rose called 'jeans'. When he found a bundle of them, he tugged on a pair of dark blue ones, zipping and buttoning them at his narrow waist.

Just as he was selecting his shirt, he heard his hostess coming down the hall. "You ready, Lo…ki…." she trailed off, her voice catching on his name. her eyes were wide as she stared at him.

He was confused. "What is it?" he asked. "Something wrong?" He looked down at himself, then glanced over his shoulder.

"N-no," she mumbled, turning away. "Grab your boots and we'll go."

Loki pulled his shirt over his head, hooking his fingers around the laces of his black steel-toed boots and following her to the car.

"All right," Lily-Rose said almost twenty minutes afterwards. They were standing in her office at the animal shelter/hospital, a packet of paperwork on her desk. "While I'm doing your application, I want you to walk around the animal cages, get familiar with them." She gave him a sharp look. "Do **not** let them out of their cages. Understand?"

Loki gave her a falsely innocent look. "Now, why would I do that?" he asked, his voice light and mocking.

She gave him a playful glare. "Don't stick your fingers in their cages, either," she said, picking up her pen and getting to work on his application. "Some of them may bite."

He nodded, leaving her office. Lily-Rose watched him through the large window as he headed to the feline room. Sighing, she quickly filled out his application, feeling a little guilty about lying. _"But," _she told herself, _"this was the only way to guarantee him a paycheck."_

Finally, after a long while, she finished his paperwork and filed it. Stretching her arms above her head, she stood to find her new employee. She discovered him standing in front of a cage with a black and orange calico. She was rubbing her face against his fingers, which her pressed through the bars.

"Thought I told you not to do that?' Lily-Rose said, her arms crossed on her chest as she gave him a mock-glare.

"Yes, but there's something about this animal," he said, his back still to her.

Lily-Rose smiles and stepped up to the cage. "She's new," she said, checking the charts. "She just got here today." She continued looking over the papers before hooking it back to the bars. "All right," she said, facing Loki, "for now, your job is just to stock the shelve."

He gave her a strange look, his eyes going cold.

"Yep, you have to do manual labor," she said, returning his look. She lead him to the storage area. "Mostly, its just replacing the collars and toys that people have bought." She picked up a clipboard that was hanging on the wall. "Make sure you mark down everything you restock on here." She handed him the clipboard.

"Wait," he said when she moved to leave him. "Why can't I just stay with you?"

Lily-Rose faced him. For the first time since she met him, he looked uncertain. She smiled sympathetically. "Because today I'm giving the dogs baths, cleaning out the dirty cages, and giving shots to the ones that need it." She reached out and squeezed his hand in reassurance. "You'll be fine. If you need anything, just come find me. It's Sunday, so it'll be slow today, since we're only open until 5."

She left him to his work, glancing over her shoulder. He alternately stared at the chart and the boxes of supplies.

_"He'll do fine," _she told herself as she took each of the dogs to the play area. While they romped and rolled in the grass, she used a hose to clean their small rooms. After that, she sprayed disinfectant in the air.

"Lily-Rose!" Loki called, walking up to her, clipboard in hand. "What is this?" He shoved the chart at her. The first item was abbreviated to 'rd sprkl cllr'.

"It's a red sparkle collar," she said. "You need three small ones and one medium in the shop."

He nodded and left.

_"That wasn't so bad," _she thought as he left.

Lily-Rose soon regretted her words. It seemed like every five minutes, he was calling for her. At one point, he'd left the door open while she was bathing a cocker spaniel. The dog took advantage and escaped, trailing water and soap through the halls. Loki had laughed while Lily-Rose chased the animal, finally catching it when she slid on her knees and all but tackled it.

After that, Lily-Rose told him to just sit in her office until she was finished. When he complied, Lily-Rose took no time finishing her list. She then completed the restocking. Before she knew it, it was after 5pm, and everything was done. She turned off the lights to the feline room, doing the same to the canine. She yawned, her light blue scrubs still soaked in some places. Her once neat pony-tail was now off-center, wisps of hair coming loose from the tie.

She slowly trudged to her office to get her purse and clock out. When she got there, she found Loki sound asleep in her chair. She bit her tongue, her anger slowly rising. "It's time to go," she told him coolly, picking up her bag and signing out.

He stood up and yawned, stretching his arms and back. "Good," he said, ruffling his hair. "That chair is uncomfortable."

She shot him a glare. "It wasn't made for sleeping," she growled, locking the door behind him.

They rode home in silence, the sky darkening as Lily-Rose drove. Once they arrived, Loki announced that he was hungry. Holding back a sarcastic comment, she quietly fixed a stir fry with garlic shrimp and vegetables.

"You enjoy," she said, handing him a large bowl full of the steaming meal. "I'm not hungry." She left the kitchen as Loki began to devour his food.

Sighing, Lily-Rose shut her bedroom door and trudged to the bathroom. Yawning openly, she prepared a hot bath, tossing in a handful of lavender bath salts. While the water rose, she took off her filthy scrubs and tossed them in her laundry hamper. After setting a towel near the edge of the tub, she stepped into the boiling water and sat down, sinking up to her shoulders. Slowly, her muscles began to relax, the ache in her back ebbing away.

She turned off the water with her foot and plucked up her loofa sponge, squeezing her favorite body wash onto it. As she lathered the soap on her arms and legs, she felt herself relax even more. In fact, she was so relaxed that she felt exhausted.

After sensing the soap, she stood and released the drain, snatching up her towel in the process. As she dried her limbs, a dull throb began at her temple, and she sighed in aggravation.

After she got dressed in her pajamas, she draped her robe around her, walking into the living room to find Loki watching a movie about pirates.

"How was din- "

Loki cut her off. "When are you going to put away my things so I can sleep in the bed?" he asked, looking past her at the television.

Lily-Rose stopped in her tracks. Her temple throbbed violently. All of the stress from earlier came flooding back as she slowly turned to face him. She couldn't help it. She snapped.

"Excuse me?" Her voice rose to almost a shriek as she faced him.

He stared at her with wide eyes. "You can't expect me to put away my-"

She interrupted him. "Oh, yes the hell I can!" She glared at him. "You are a grown man, you can manage just fine."

He laughed incredulously. "I," he sneered, "am a god."

"And?" she growled. "You've got two legs and a heartbeat; what's stopping you? They're your things!"

Loki glared at her and stood from the chair. "You dare to tell me what to do?" he demanded, towering over her.

She had her fists on her hips, matching his glare completely. "Oh yes, I dare! It's time to take care of yourself, Loki," she sneered at him. "You're a big boy now, act like it."

"_How dare she?"_ he thought, turning away from her. "I am a god-"

"Not here, you aren't!" Lily-Rose exploded. "You want your bed cleaned? Do it yourself!"

With that, she stomped back to her bedroom and slammed the door, locking it behind her.

Loki just stared after her, her words slowly sinking it. _"Not a god?"_ He thought of his injuries, his lack of abilities, the fact that he had to work a job like a mortal. _"She's right!"_ he thought, walking back to his bedroom. _"Until I get my powers back, I am no different than any human."_

Slowly, he unpacked all of his things. The jeans and slacks, he hung up in the closet along with the nicer of his new shirts. His socks and underwear, he put in drawers. He placed his shoes in the closet as well. After all of his things were put away, he balled up the grocery bags and packed them into one, carrying them to the kitchen to throw away.

He sat in his room for a while, silently thinking about all that Lily-Rose had said. Everything she'd said was true. He did need to learn to take care of himself. He sighed, heading back to the kitchen. He dug around in the drawers until he found a notepad and pen. In his own sprawling writing, he quickly wrote two words. He returned the pen and pad to their place after tearing out the written-on paper. After he retrieved a piece of his favorite chocolate, he walked to Lily-Rose's door. Sighing, he set the paper and candy on the floor. He then knocked and left, going back to his room and shutting the door.

Lily-Rose was almost a sleep when she heard Loki's knock.

"Go away," she grumbled into her pillow, but she tossed the covers back dutifully, dragging herself from her bed. She ignored her robe hanging on the wall and moved to her door.

"What is…it?" she trailed off as she opened the door to find no one.

Confused, she opened it wider and looked around. Thinking she must've heard things, she turned to go back into her room. That's when she saw something on the floor in front of her door. Bending down, she picked up one of Loki's precious chocolates and a folded sheet of paper. "What?" she mumbled. Smiling uncertainly, she flipped the paper open to see Loki'd written two words:

"I apologize"


	4. Chapter 3

_**Before I begin this chapter, I'd like to know if anyone wants to participate in a contest? Please give me feedback on if anyone is interested. Now, onto the chapter! Sorry it's so short!**_

**Chapter Three**

Lily-Rose walked through the halls at work, smiling at the parents and children who were there to choose their first per or getting toys for their dog or cat. She knew that, as the holidays approached, there would be more adoptions, even if the nearest holiday was Halloween, and that was over a month away. Every year, the weekend before the 31st, the animal shelter/hospital had a small costume contest for the animals. People loved to dress their dogs and cats up, and Lily-Rose found it amusing.

Now, as her shift was ending, she searched for Loki so the two could clock out and go home for the weekend. And she knew exactly where he'd be. Smiling, she walked to the feline room, and sure enough, there was the God of Mischief. He was standing, once again, in front of the black and orange calico's cage. He was flipping a feather through the cages, and Mittens was pawing at it, lying on her side, her belly swollen. A week after she was brought to them, they found that she was pregnant and highly malnourished. After they fattened her up, the ultrasounds show four kittens.

"How's the expecting mother today?" Lily-Rose asked, washing her hands in the sink.

Loki, who'd been assigned to the feline room, turned. "Her food bowl was completely empty, and she can barely clean her back," he reported.

Lily-Rose nodded. "I suppose you gave her extra rations?" She had caught him doing that the day before.

He nodded. "There's something special about this animal," he said, turning around. While at work, he was required to wear his long hair pulled back, and Lily-Rose had to admit that it was a good look for him.

"You mean, other than being pregnant?" she asked, brushing back her own tangled hair.

He nodded again, putting away the cat toy and washing his hands. "This is a pleasant creature," he murmured, stealing glances at Mittens, who'd fallen asleep.

_"Well,"_ Lily-Rose thought happily, _"looks like Loki is starting to actually feel."_

The car ride to the grocery store was taking longer than usual. Or so it seemed to Loki as he sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window. Both he and Lily-Rose were in matching scrubs from work, which smelled faintly of the animals.

Lily-Rose was singing along with the radio. "…I play along with the charade; there doesn't seem to be a reason to change; you know I feel so dirty when they start talking cute; I wanna tell her that I love her; but the point is probably moot…" she sang softly.

Loki hated to admit, even to himself, that he actually liked her slightly off-key singing. The song, on the other hand, confused him. "What is it about?" he asked, turning to her, interrupting the chorus. "What is this about?"

Lily-Rose smiled slightly, glancing at him. "Basically, the guy singing likes his best friend's girlfriend," she said.

"Girlfriend?" he repeated the phrase, testing the way it sounded.

"Yes." When she glanced over, he still looked confused. "Uhm…girlfriend is not quite like a wife, but similar. It's like a test-drive for marriage. That's basically what dating is."

Loki nodded. "So this man covets his companion's wife?" he asked. When she nodded, he made a repulsed sound. "That is not honorable."

Lily-Rose chuckled. "It's typical jealousy," she explained. "Everyone feels jealous at some point or another. And everyone always wants what they can't have."

At this, Loki laughed, forcing the sound through his throat. "Mortals, maybe," he said, turning away, ending the conversation. He refused to think of Thor and Asgard and Odin, but they forced themselves into his mind despite his attempts. _"I've been on Midgard for nearly a month,"_ he thought. _"I've been away from there…yet I can't forget them. Why?"_ He gritted his teeth, his right first balling up on his thigh.

"You all right?" Lily-Rose asked, glancing at him.

He plastered his fake smile on and turned to her. "Of course," he said. "What could be wrong?"

Seemingly satisfied, Lily-Rose turned back to driving, occasionally brushing her hair back.

Within the past month, Loki had slowly come to know her. She was shy, and smiled easily. She always thought the best of everyone. She hated mornings, and loved to sleep in on her days off. Most mornings, she ate an apple of a pear. She loved to sing, especially while driving.

And Loki, the powerless god that he was, had done so much to interrupt on her pleasant routine. He ate or hid all the apples and pears. He used up all the hot water when she wanted to take a bath. He always exploded into her room rust as the sun rose, whether they had work or not.

He loved the way she got frustrated. Her eyes would burn, and her cheeks would turn pink. She'd ball her fists up, and bite the right corner of her bottom lip. He found it so amusing, he did all he could to anger her. And his laughter would only make her angrier.

"I'm fixing my grandmother's pot roast for dinner tomorrow," she said, drawing him out of his thoughts. "So remind me to get the things I need for that please?"

"Pot roast?" he asked, confused. He arched his eyebrow at her.

She smiled wistfully and looked down. "It's my grandmother's favorite recipe. And mine." She glanced up at him, tears glistening in her eyes. "It's also one of the last things she taught me to make."

Loki stared at her as they got out of the car, but she was refusing to look at him. _"I may know a great deal about her routines,"_ he thought, _"but I honestly don't know anything about her past._" As they walked into the grocery store, she wouldn't talk to him. She wouldn't even look at him.

For some reason, this unsettled him.

"Any idea when Mittens is due?" he asked, though he knew the answer.

She glanced up at him, her eyes clear. "In about two weeks," she said, smiling softly. "I thought I told you that?"

He shook his head, reaching back and pulling his hair loose. It was starting to give him a headache, a new experience for him. "Nope," he said, glancing down at her. She squinted up at him, scrunching up her nose. Every time she did this, it made him laugh, and now was no different. He was laughing as they walked through the opening doors, and she giggled along with him, nudging him with her shoulder.

"So," she said, snatching at a cart, "we need to get veggies first, and fruit. We're out of apples again."

Loki laughed, folding his arms behind his head as they walked. Since his time on Midgard seemed indefinite, he figured he might as well have a little fun while he was there, and torturing Lily-Rose in subtle ways was sheer joy to him. Even though it was harmless little pranks, and she only got a little annoyed, it still amused him.

As she loaded baby carrots and cucumbers into their cart in the middle of a deserted aisle, he watched her, noting every move she made. The way her eyes would light up when she smiled, how she liked to play with her hair whenever she was deep in thought. He noticed the light splatter of freckles on her cheeks and nose. She was almost always smiling and happy. It was strange to him.

"So, do you have anything you want to eat tonight?" she asked, turning to him. When she caught his eye, she blushed, glancing down then back at him.

Just as he was about to answer, he saw the blood drain from her face and her eyes go wide, almost fearful. Her lips were pressed into a thin line as she stared over his shoulder, her fists clenched tightly. He'd never seen her like this before, and it worried him. "What's wrong?" he asked. When he received no answer, he touched her arm. "Lily-Rose?"

Still not looking at him, her lips trembling, she said one word. "Derek."

Everything was fine. The day was going great. Until she saw him. Derek. Her ex.

"Derek," she said, not even hearing Loki as he watched her, touched her arm.

Derek was standing three yards away, still in his police uniform, his black eyes watching her with a spiteful gleam. Lily-Rose went cold as he sauntered over, his lips curling into a sneer, his beady eyes shifting from Lily-Rose to Loki, who'd just caught sight of the man.

"Hey, Lil'," Derek said, putting a booted foot on the undercarriage of Lily-Rose's cart. "How've you been?"

Lilly-rose took her hands off the cart, still staring at him with wide eyes. "What do you want, Derek?" she asked, her voice cold.

"Aw, come on, now," he said, crossing his arms across his chest. "Don't be like that. We had our good times, didn't we?"

Lily-Rose let out one harsh laugh. "You're joking, right?" she said, backing away a step. "Our 'good times' were nothing compared to all the times you got drunk, all the times you hit me. We didn't have good times."

Derek's eyes turned cold and he lunged at her. Lily-Rose backed up and almost fell. Before Derek could grab her though, Loki stepped in front of her, his eyes blazing.

"If you touch her," he said, his voice colder than ice, "I will make you regret it." He glared down at the mortal, his jaw clenched.

Derek looked intimidated for a moment, but quickly recovered himself. "Who's this, Lil'?" he asked, never taking his eyes off Loki.

"I am Loki Odinson," he said, glaring down at him.

Derek actually took a step back, his eyes on Loki. "She doing you now?" he asked, glaring. When Loki snarled, he shifted his gaze down to Lily-Rose. "You doin' him, huh? Typical Lily-Rose. Spread your legs for anyone."

Tears that had threatened to spill from her eyes a moment before slowly trailed down her cheeks. "Get away from me, Derek," she hissed, snatching up her purse and running toward the exit.

Loki didn't know who this man Derek was, but he didn't care. This stranger had hurt Lily-Rose, had made her cry. And when Lily-Rose said this man had hit her, Loki had seen red. This man, Derek, had said things to make Lily-Rose cry, and Loki wanted to make him pay.

When Lily-Rose had run off, Derek looked as if he wanted to follow, but Loki again blocked his path. Derek turned to glare at him, but Loki wouldn't back down.

"I don't know who you are, or who you _**think**_you are," Loki began, his voice deadly as he narrowed his eyes, his gaze boring into Derek, "but you never deserved such a kind-hearted, beautiful, intelligent woman like Lily-Rose, and you will never have her again." Derek made to interrupt, but Loki spoke over him. "I promise you, if you make her cry ever again, I will personally make sure you regret every tear she's ever shed."

With his speech done, Loki turned on his heel and walked after Lily-Rose, leaving their cart. He didn't turn to see if Derek was following; he knew the man wouldn't dare. Loki had seen his kind before. Derek liked to talk and bully, but he hid behind his power, feeling he could get away with anything. It made Loki furious. As he walked to the car, he slowly calmed himself, fighting off the rage that threatened to boil over inside him. _"Just find Lily-Rose,"_ he told himself, ignoring the looks he was getting from other shoppers.

He found her sitting in the front seat of her car, still sniffling, her hair in her face. She had red marks on her arms. Loki knocked gently on the glass and she unlocked the door for him to get inside. "Are you all right?" he asked, slipping into the seat. She shook her head, not looking at him. "You want to tell me?"

She took a few deep breaths and cleared her throat. Even after that, her voice was still raspy. "He was my first boyfriend," she said hoarsely. "Said he wanted to marry me. Everything was fine.." She smiled sadly. "Until he started drinking. He'd go out with his friends, drink until he couldn't see straight, then call me to come get him."

"He…hit you?" Loki asked, his anger rising again.

"Only when he'd drink," she said, glancing at him. "It was my fault, I'd—"

"No," Loki said firmly, gently grabbing one of her wrists. He pulled until she looked at him, and he slowly brushed one of her tears away. "It is never your fault for being abused. Never, do you understand?" He held her gaze with his own, brushing her hair behind her ear. She bit her lip and nodded slowly. He gave her a reassuring grin and released her arm.

She sighed and wiped her face as Loki shifted in his seat. "What do you say about a drive-through?"

Loki nodded, turning his thoughts inward. _"Why did I react like that?"_ he asked himself. _"I am just here until I get my powers back. After that, I'll never come back to this miserable place. So why did I just defend her?"_ He thought back to all the times he had angered her. Each time, she'd always be quick with a smile afterwards, and Loki found he liked making her smile. Each time she did, it made him feel… _"Feel what?"_ he asked, slightly annoyed at himself.

So lost in his own thoughts and conflictions, he didn't notice Lily-Rose going through a drive-through and ordering for them both. He barely realized it when they were halfway home.

_"I don't care how long it takes me to get my powers back,"_ he thought suddenly, _"but as long as I'm here, no one will hurt her."_

An hour after they'd gotten home and eaten, Lily-Rose was sitting on her bed, reading one of her favorite books when Loki burst into the room, a look of mad happiness on his face.

"I did it!" he yelled, running to her side and grabbing her hand. "I can do it again!"

Lily-Rose, confused, set her book aside and sat up. "What are you talking about?"

He let go of her hand. "What this," he said, a manic gleam in his eyes. He closed them, concentrating. Lily-Rose waited, wondering what was supposed to happen, when, slowly, his body began to blur, then fade. In his place stood a solid black wolf.

Lily-Rose shrieked and scooted back, her eyes wide. The Loki-wolf gave her a toothy grin and slowly changed into a man again.

"See?" he said excitedly. "I can do it again!"

Lily-Rose nodded, her heart racing as Loki changed again. This time, he became a beautiful, long-haired woman. Lily-Rose stared, amazed. The woman still had Loki's smirk and his eyes, but it was much more feminine.

"Loki?" she asked tentatively.

The woman laughed, an enchanting and throaty giggle as she phased back into a he, her giggle becoming his deep chuckle. "Well?" he asked, staring manically at Lily-Rose.

She was quiet, watching him. _"He's getting them back," _she thought. _"And as soon as he has them all, he'll leave."_

She smiled widely, knowing that he was ecstatic. "This is great!" she said, moving from the bed.

When Loki grabbed her in a shocking hug, Lily-Rose rested her cheek on his shoulder. _"If it makes him happy, then I'll be happy for him."_


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Screaming, whimpering, crying, pain, blood, dark shadows, cruel voices, harsh laughter. Images blurring together, colors blending into masquerade of hues. Memories turned to nightmares as Lily-Rose dreamt, tossing and turning in her bed, sheets tangling around her legs. She whimpered in her sleep as she relived those hours from her past. She threw her arms out, then pulled them back to her body, curling into a ball.

"No…" she murmured, her eyes still shut tightly in the throws of her nightmare. "Please…"

She began gasping as if in pain, her body heaving and convulsing sporadically. Her long hair got tangled around her neck as she rolled. Suddenly, she sat up, crying out, tears streaming down her face. When she saw that she was safe, she scooted up on her bed, pressing her back against the headboard. She brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs as she began to sob and gasp for air.

_"No…"_ she thoughts, almost pleading with herself. _"Don't…don't think about it. Don't remember."_ She closed her eyes tightly, forcing herself to take slow, deep breaths as she cried.

Her head was spinning, and she felt weak as she leaned over to her bedside table. Opening the top drawer, she reached inside, searching. When she found what she was looking for, she cradled it in both hands before closing her fingers loosely around it. Just the feel of it in her hands calmed her. Closing her eyes, she slowly took a deep breath and let her mind go.

Loki had heard her screaming from the other room. He glanced at his clock, which read 4:38am. Her sounds of terror and pain had woken him up from a deep dream. He was just getting up to go check on her when sounds of her distress stopped. He lay there in his bed, staring at the ceiling, sleep causing his thoughts to be muddled and slow.

_"She was screaming…"_ he thought, opening his eyes fully. _"It sounded like she was hurt…or scared…"_

Slowly, he sat up, throwing back his comforter. He brushed his hair out of his face and swung his legs over the side of his bed, standing. He yawned, slowly walking towards the door. He was wearing a pair of boxers and nothing else; the night was too warm for his taste, so he took off the t-shirt and pajama pants.

As he rounded the corner, he kicked the ancient piano. He always forgot it was there. "Damn!" he hissed, limping for a few steps before the pain in his toes ebbed and disappeared. He shot the piano a glare before continuing on to Lily-Rose's room.

Knocking on the door, he waited for her to reply. When she didn't, he knocked again, calling out her name.

"Yes?" came her faint reply.

He shifted from one foot to another. "Are you all right?" he asked through the door. "I heard you yelling."

He heard shuffling behind the door, and suddenly she appeared, opening it just enough so she could look out. "I'm fine, I promise," she said.

Loki nodded, turning back around and going back to his room. "Good night then," he said.

"Night."

As Loki was crawling back into bed and punching his pillow into a comfortable shape, something occurred to him. _"She wasn't wearing long-sleeves when she went to bed,"_ he thought, glancing at the door. _"It's burning up, why would she change?"_

Lily-Rose leaned on her elbow as she went through paperwork, hiding a yawn with the other hand, trying to stay awake. It was a very slow Sunday; just Loki and herself were in the office. As far as she knew, Loki was in the back, stocking shelves. She'd done her best to avoid him most of the day. She didn't feel like herself and didn't want to risk upsetting her or angering him.

The bell to the lobby dinged, and Lily-Rose stood, shuffling the record book she'd been staring at for the past hour. Three people walked in, two men and a woman. One of the men seemed to stand away from the other two.

_"He looks like he's the third wheel on their date,"_ Lily-Rose thought as she smiled and walked out to greet them.

"Hello," she said cheerfully, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "How can I help you?"

The woman, a petite redhead, started walking along the walls, scanning the toys and outfits for the animals. The awkward man, who had brown hair and glasses, simply stood back, his arms crossed in a self conscious way. It was the blonde man who actually walked up to her, his blue eyes bright.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," he said, giving her a dazzling smile. He held out his hand for her to shake. "My name is Steve Rogers. This gentleman behind me is Bruce Banner." The man nodded, meeting her eyes then glancing away. "And the young woman over there is Natasha Romanoff." The woman shot Steve a sharp glare.

_"He speaks like my grandmother use to,"_ Lily-Rose thought.

"My name is Lily-Rose," she smiled, glancing at all of them. The shy man, Bruce, kept shifting his gaze, never looking in one place for long. "What can I help you with?"

"Well…" Steve trailed off, turning his torso to look at Natasha, who gave him a hard look. "I…I'd like a puppy!" Steve snapped his fingers playfully, smiling brightly.

"All right, if you'd follow me," Lily-Rose lead them through the canine room. "Any particular traits? Color? Breed?"

"Nope," Steve said from right behind her. He towered over her, but didn't make her feel threatened. "Just a puppy that I can raise."

"A lab would be a good match," Bruce spoke up from behind them. He glanced at Lily-Rose, gave her a small smile, then turned away.

"I have just the one!" Lily-Rose said, leading them to a mid-sized cage. She opened the gate and knelt down. Slowly, a medium-sized puppy crept out, brown eyes glancing around. The dog skittered over to Lily-Rose, who smiled. "This is one of our newest. He's about six months old and fully house-trained. He's a yellow lab."

Steve knelt down, and the puppy bounded over to him, ears flopping slightly. Steve started petting him, and the dog licked his hands.

"See? He likes you," Lily-Rose said. When she glanced up, she saw the woman roll her eyes. Lily-Rose stood. "So, is it love-at-first-sight?"

Steve smiled, still playing with the dog.

Just then, Loki walked in, looking at a clipboard. "Lily-Rose, I can't find this order anywhere, can…you…" He trailed off as he looked up and saw who was in the room. "Shit." He threw down the clipboard and lunged for the door, but the woman already had it blocked.

"What the hell?" Lily-Rose shouted as Steve scooped the dog up and knocked her out of the way as Loki and Natasha, locked in hand-to-hand combat, came barreling through.

"Hold this," Steve said, handing her the dog.

"I think maybe we should explain?" Bruce called nervously, his eyes on Loki as Steve joined Natasha in her attack.

"Stop it!" Lily-Rose said, putting the whimpering puppy back in its cage. She could barely be heard over the other dogs and the fighting.

She saw Steve's fist hit Loki's chest, and she threw herself between him and his attackers. The man and woman stopped, breathing heavy, as Lily-Rose glared at them.

"Someone tell me what the hell is going on here!" she yelled, blocking them from Loki, who was picking himself up.

"Do you have any idea who this man is?" Natasha spoke for the first time.

"Yeah, my employee," Lily-Rose snapped, adjusting her stance to defend herself should they attack again.

"He also helped to destroy half of New York," Bruce said as he calmly walked around the corner. He gave Loki a hard look before walking around him and Lily-Rose to stand with his companions. "He is one of the most powerful gods in the universe."

"Was," Loki said, standing close behind Lily-Rose. She could feel his breath on her neck. "Not anymore." He gave them a hateful sneer. "I have no power now."

Steve looked at Loki, his eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, no powers?" he asked.

"That's just what he said," Lily-Rose answered. "I found him, half-dead. I helped him back to health. He has no powers, or he wouldn't need my help. So why don't you leave?"

Natasha swung at Loki, but Lily-Rose blocked it with her left arm, wincing and gritting her teeth.

"Enough, Nat," Bruce said, putting a hand on her shoulder. He looked from Loki to Lily-Rose, holding her eye contact longer than he had before. "You swear he has no powers?"

Lily-Rose nodded, half-turning away. "I swear," she said, glaring at them all.

Steve and Bruce looked at each other. They seemed to come to an understanding, and both nodded.

"We apologize for this, Lily-Rose," Bruce said. "But if you'd known what he's done, you wouldn't blame us."

"For now, we'll just check in occasionally," Steve said. The three of them backed off, Natasha and Bruce heading toward to the door. Steve stayed for a moment longer. "We have other friends who will want to stop by. You'll know them by S.H.I.E.L.D. Unless they say 'Fury sent me', don't trust them." He turned to go, then glanced at Loki. "Sure hope you know what you're doing, ma'am."

With that, the three strangers were gone. Lily-Rose took a deep breath, her muscles aching from her being ready to attack. Her head was pounding.

"Uhm, Lily-Rose?" Loki said from behind her as she started walking.

"Finish up so we can leave," she told him as she walked to the door.

"Lily-Rose?" he called again.

She turned, trying not to be annoyed. "What?" she snapped.

"You arm," he said, pointing. "It's bleeding."

Lily-Rose looked at her arm. The shirt was stained with blood where Natasha had hit her on her bicep. She had been ignoring the burning sensation since the woman's fist made contact.

"Did she do that?" Loki asked. "Let me see!" He started forward, trying to grab her arm.

She shook her head, jerking it away. She took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes, counting to ten. When she opened them, she found Loki directly in front of her, only a few inches separating them. As she stared up at him, she bit her lip. "I think you and I need to talk."

Lily-Rose sat in front of the fireplace, her hair brushed over her left shoulder. It hung down to her waist in crimson waves. She was dressed in her favorite pajama pants and tank. A light blanket was wrapped around her shoulders. Loki was sitting on the floor, leaning up against her leather recliner, resting his elbows on his knees. His hair, still wet from his shower, was brushed back from his face and rested on his shoulders, soaking his dark gray shirt.

The silence was awkward as they sat there, glancing at each other and looking away. Lily-Rose began entwining her fingers together. She chewed on her bottom lip. "You want to tell your story first?" she asked quietly. "The truth?"

He nodded. "My father…" he stopped, looking away. Clearing his throat, he started again. "The man who I thought was my father…took me as an infant from my birth world."

"Wait, wait, wait," Lily-Rose said. "Odin isn't your father?"

Loki arched an eyebrow. "You'll never hear all of this if you keep interrupting, Lily-Rose," he said, smirking. She smiled slightly, waiting for him to continue. "To answer your question, no, Odin is not my father. Frigga is not my mother. Thor is not my brother." He looked down, his smirk falling away. "All that I've believed all my life has been a lie." He cleared his throat, looking away.

Lily-Rose watched him, watched the pain on his face, and her heart thudded in her chest. While he told her of his childhood spent in Thor's shadow, she continuously wanted to reach out and just touch his arm, give him comfort in even the smallest of ways.

"I never felt like I belonged," he said, looking at her, his eyes wide. "I practically hero-worshipped Thor. I only ever wanted Odin's approval. And no matter how much I tried, I never got it."

The pain in his voice was too much for her. Lily-Rose slid from her seat and scooted next to him. When their sides were touching, they looked at each other. "What next?" she whispered, giving him a small nudge.

"It's not very nice," he warned her, nudging her back. "I sabotaged my brother, put my father into what you mortals call a coma, and nearly wiped out my true race. And, to add to my list, I killed the one who really sired me."

He took a deep breath and folded his fingers together. "A few months before my fall to Midgard, while I was floating between universes, a race of extraterrestrials called the Chitauri found me." His face, already pale, drained of all color. His eyes grew distant and filled with pain. "They…they were cruel, and manipulative…" He gave her a humorless smile. "Even more so than I could ever be."

Lily-Rose began rubbing his arm comfortingly. "They used pain to manipulate me," he went on. "Not just physical, but…emotional and mental as well." He sighed. "I can't begin to describe all that they did to me. And I never want to go through that again."

"The Chitauri gave me an army to dominate the Midgardians. It was…needless to say, it wasn't my finest moment," he said, giving her another humorless smirk. "The Avengers stopped me."

Lily-Rose gave him a look. "Avengers?"

"Three of them you met today," he explained. "Steve Rogers is the perfect soldier and leader, Captain America. That feisty and ferocious redhead is the deadly Black Widow. And the shy, soft-spoken professor in the background? He becomes an enormous green giant of pure rage."

Lily-Rose had a hard time believing that about Bruce, but Loki seemed to know him more. "Who are the others?"

"I'm sure you know Tony Stark?" he said, rolling his eyes. "Iron Man?" He laughed when she rolled her eyes. "Yes, you know him. Clint Barton is a magnificent archer known as Hawkeye. There's the master behind the madness, Nick Fury." He looked to the ceiling. "And, of course, my brother."

Lily-Rose sat up straighter. "Wait, Thor? Thor fought against you?"

Loki laughed. "After all that I've told you, **that** is what shocks you?"

They laughed, leaning against each other, both needing the comfort of another person's touch, then Loki continued. "When the Avengers defeated me, my brother and I went back to Asgard. I waited for weeks, waiting for Odin to see me. When he did…well, I egged him on. He stripped me of my powers, and sent me here."

He nudged her. "That's my story," he said. "Time for yours."

Lily-Rose stood. "I'm going to make some tea first," she said, heading to the kitchen.

Loki sat there, thinking. _"I just spilled my entire life to her…"_ he said to himself. _"I don't know how I should feel. I mean…it feels good to finally talk about it, but…something is different."_

Lily-Rose came back. Loki expected her to sit by him like she was, but she sat back on the hearth of the fireplace. He wanted her warmth beside him. She gave him an empty smile. "Remember, don't interrupt."

He nodded, adjusting a pillow behind his back.

She sighed and closed her eyes, and Loki got the feeling that she didn't want to see him while explaining her past.

"When I was three, my mother left, and I moved in with my grandmother. She was the greatest. I never wanted anything." She pulled the blanket tighter around herself. "When I turned 13, things changed. On my way home from school, a group of high school boys picked me up. They were older, and so much bigger. They'd been drinking and smoking weed. I was so scared." She opened her eyes and looked directly at him. "The police and my grandmother found me nearly sixteen hours later. I was only in my underclothes. The boys had spent hours beating me, raping me, then just left me tied up, alone, in the dark."

Loki felt himself go numb. All of the pain he went through seemed like nothing compared to what she was telling him now. Each of her words were a physical blow to his chest as she took a breath and went on.

"I went through many therapy sessions, but I…" she trailed off, looking down to her lap. "Even now, I still see everything that was done to me. I still see their faces, hear what they said. It got to the point that the therapy wasn't working. I was still in pain, and I needed an outlet…"

Taking a deep breath, she pulled the blanket from her shoulders. Loki's eyes widened as he took in what he saw. Crisscrossed all over her arms were scars. On her left bicep were fresh cuts and a deep purple bruise. He leaned forward, moving to kneel before her. He took her arms and slowly traced the scars with his fingertips.

"I don't want to die," she said, gazing at him. "I want you to understand that. I am actually terrified of death."

He gripped her shoulders. "Then why?" he asked, his eyes burning.

She looked at him, her eyes searching his. Tears fell from the corner of her eyes and she took a shaky breath. "Because I can't ever be clean again, and I feel like it's my fault, like I deserved it or did something bad," she said. "Because I can't deal with the memories that are constantly in my dreams." She started crying harder now. "You have no idea how hard it is to force myself to get up, to get out of bed, to smile."

Loki stared at her, unsure of what to do while she cried. He did the only thing he could: he pulled her into a tight hug, burying his face in her hair. He closed his eyes. "Don't do this anymore," he said, his lips next to her ear. He felt her body trembling and he held her tighter. "Don't do it. Come to me. I'll be here." He pulled back and looked at her, his eyes shining. "I'll always be here."


	6. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Sorry it took so long, guys. There has just been too much stuff going on the past few weeks, and it finally took its toll on me. **_

_**Anyway, here's the chapter. The songs that inspired it were 'My Immortal' and 'Tourniquet' by Evanescence for the first part of Lily-Rose's POV and 'Sparks Fly' by Taylor Swift during Loki's POV. **_

_**For anyone who is interested in the contest I'd mentioned before: draw a picture of Lily-Rose and Loki and e-mail it to me. I'll judge on whose is the best. The winner gets to create his/her own character to be introduced later on as Lily-Rose's best friend.**_

_**Warning: this chapter has a bit of a dark beginning and a sad ending. Still, I hope you enjoy!**_

**Chapter Five**

"_What the hell am I doing here?"_ Lily-Rose thought as she sat in the office lobby. She gnawed o her thumb nail, glancing around the drab office nervously. Loki had surprised her; more less forced her to start therapy again. Lily-Rose was scared. Until the other night, she hadn't spoken of her past in almost four years. Telling Loki had scared her to death. She had expected him to run away, possibly use it against her, or think her insane; all of the things that Derek had done to her after finding out that she was a self-mutilator.

Loki had completely shocked her. Instead of staring at her in disgust, he had embraced her and held her while she cried, telling, almost begging her no to do it again, that he'd be there for her. Lily-Rose had told herself she wasn't going to cry in front of Loki, but as soon as she looked at him, her will broke and she just started crying.

"Miss DeRusha?" the receptionist called, breaking through Lily-Rose's thoughts. "Dr. Gregory will see you now."

Her heart in her throat, Lily-Rose stood and smoothed her light blue shirt. She gave the reception a nervous grin and stepped into the hall, slowly walking down the hall to her new therapist's office. She chewed on her lip, blinking her eyes against the blindingly bright lights.

_"Why did I let Loki talk me into this?"_ she asked herself for the millionth time. As she stepped up to the door, she took a shaky breath. _"Too late to turn back."_ She closed her eyes and knock quickly on the door.

"Come in," came a soft voice, and Lily-Rose did as told.

Dr. Gregory was a middle-aged woman with honey brown hair she wore pulled back into a smooth bun. Hidden behind narrow glasses were kind, gray eyes that surveyed Lily-Rose with warmth. Her thin lips were curled into a welcoming smile as she stood, smoothing the shallow wrinkles in her slate-gray pants-suit. "Good afternoon, Miss DeRusha," she said, stepping around her desk. "I am Dr. Melissa Gregory." The two women shook hands briefly. "Please take a seat."

Lily-Rose smiled nervously at the psychiatrist as she eased herself into one of the cushioned leather chairs. Dr. Gregory sat down behind her desk.

"So," she said, watching Lily-Rose, "tell me about yourself."

The younger woman took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip. Her hands were trembling as she twisted a lock of her hair around her fingers. "W-well, my name is Lily-Rose DeRusha," she began, not looking at Dr. Gregory. "I was born in 1988. My father died before I was born, and my mother couldn't take care of me on her own." She gave a nervous, twitchy smile. "My grandmother took care of me since the time I was three until she died last year." Her throat burned at the unshed tears from mentioning her grandmother.

"You must miss her," Dr. Gregory commented, writing something down quickly before watching Lily-Rose again.

"Yes. Very much," Lily-Rose said, swallowing back her tears. "She always did everything she could for me after my mother left. Music lessons, ballet class, soccer." She laughed. "I was one of the happiest girls around."

Silence followed her reminiscence. Lily-Rose was lost in her memories, smiling sadly.

"When did all of that change?" the doctor asked quietly, watching her carefully.

Lily-Rose cleared her throat before continuing. "We only lived about a mile from my school, so I walked home if the weather wasn't bad. I had a friend who walked with me. She was my best friend." She smiled again. "We were always together. She even called my grandmother 'Gamma' like I always did." She sighed, the smile fading from her lips as she pushed her hair back from her face. "That day, she had a dentist appointment, so I walked home alone. I'm glad that she wasn't there, because two thirteen year old girls wouldn't have made a bit difference than just one." Her throat dry, she tried taking another breath before she continued. "I was almost halfway home when this beat-up old car pulled up beside me. I recognized some of them from the high school football team. Three were seniors, the others juniors. They were all…so big. Tall. Strong. I tried to ignore them for a little while, but they just wouldn't go away. The one driving, one of the seniors stopped the car. As they got out, I started running. They were faster, and stronger."

Dr. Gregory scribbled something before looking back to her patient. "I know this is hard for you, Miss DeRusha," she said in a serene and calming voice, "but I need to know everything."

Lily-Rose nodded, her eyes shut as tears caused her vision to swim. "One of them grabbed me and yanked my arms behind me. He ended up dislocating my shoulder. When I screamed, one of his friends punched me. My legs gave out and the guy holding my shoulders let me fall to the sidewalk. Someone kicked my stomach, and I blacked out." She took a shuddering breath. "When I woke up, I was someplace dark. My hands were tied behind my back. My ankles were tied to some poles, so my legs were open. I could…I could feel a cut on my lip. I hurt…everywhere." She stared off into space, her eyes wide. "I started screaming for help, but only those boys came back. I begged them to let me go. They only hit me more. When I screamed, they put a gag in my mouth. Then…they just…they started…" She choked up a little, her throat tight. Her entire body was shaking as she tried to keep herself calm.

"One of them liked to hit me while he was…was raping me," she said, tears falling from her wide eyes as she relived the experience. "Another kept calling me…'whore', 'slut', and saying that I-I liked it, that I deserved it. They all took turns…" She raised a trembling hand to wipe away her tears, clearing her throat. "When they were done, they left me there, tied up, in the dark. I laid there for hours, waiting for someone to come. I lost track of time. I…I felt like I was frozen there; my body wouldn't move. I slowly worked the gag out of my mouth and started screaming. For hours, I just screamed and cried and begged for someone, anyone to come save me."

Dr. Gregory watched her carefully, her pen in hand. She offered a box of tissue to her, which Lily-Rose took and cleaned her tears. "Did you ever seek help afterwards?"

Lily-Rose nodded, sniffling. "For a few years, I went to therapy. It helped for a while, but then I just…nothing helped. I started trying new things to help," she said, rubbing her arms. "So…"

"You started cutting," Dr. Gregory said matter-of-factly. When Lily-Rose nodded, she asked, "Why? Did you **want** to kill yourself?"

"No! Never!" Lily-Rose said firmly, looking Dr. Gregory in the eye for the first time. "I never wanted to die. Just…I felt that when I had physical pain, it cancelled out all the pain that I felt with everything else."

Dr. Gregory wrote something down. "Are you still doing it?"

Lily-Rose rubbed her arms nervously. "Only if I have flashbacks and I can't get myself to relax."

"Recently?"

"Last week," she said. "I had a dream. It was like I was thirteen all over again. I saw their faces, felt all they did to me. I woke up screaming and crying. Woke my roommate up as well."

Dr. Gregory glanced at her watch. "Well, Miss DeRusha, our time is almost up," she said. "I would like to see you twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday, if you wish to continue seeing me." Lily-Rose nodded. "Also, if you ever feel like hurting yourself again, please don't hesitate to call me. My card also has my cell phone number on it. Please," she said, looking at Lily-Rose over her glasses, "call me at any time if you feel like harming yourself in anyway."

"I will," Lily-Rose promised, standing.

Loki stared at his ceiling, arms crossed behind his head. Lily-Rose had left for her appointment almost an hour ago, leaving him at the house alone. He'd already looked through the television, gone through Lily-Rose's vast selection of reading material, even took a look at her computer. Now, he was truly and completely bored.

He was completely restless. Standing, he headed to the kitchen, running his fingers through his hair. _"Why is there nothing to do on this ridiculous realm?" _he thought.

As he stood there, a note from Lily-Rose caught his eye. _"I shouldn't be gone for too long. If you get hungry, there are some snacks in the fridge. Lily-Rose"_ He released the little square of yellow paper and watched as it fluttered back onto the counter. Sighing, he moved to the white refrigerator and opened the door. He snatched up the carton of orange juice and poured himself a glass. Leaving the container out, he started wandering through the house, cup clutched in his right hand.

Standing on the back porch, he closed his eyes, a cool sensation trailing down his spine. When he opened his eyes, his body was completely different. Still a male, his body was now four inches shorter, his once straight black hair now an extremely curly and short golden brown. His jaw was square instead of narrow, his lips full opposed thin. His eyes, normally a bright mischievous green, were completely and utterly the same.

His clothes were different, too. His jeans, originally a pair a black one that clung to his hip, now were a faded blue that had tears at the knees. His tight smoke-gray shirt became a loose faded red shirt with a black crow on the center. His bare feet became incased in a pair of tan work boots.

Smiling, he had a hand through his hair, marveling at the strange feeling of its shortness. "What an odd sensation," he said, his voice deeper, huskier. Chuckling, he took a gulp of his orange juice, glancing around the back yard. Closing his eyes, he changed forms again, this time to a petite blonde woman with a splash of freckles across her up-turned nose. Her hair became corkscrew curls, a pink tank top covering her torso, her jeans becoming a pair of dark gray shorts. Her eyes were still the same. Her full lips becoming an impish smile, she turned and headed back into the kitchen, changing back to his normal form as he went.

He stared at the fridge again, setting his glass by the sink. _"I want to attempt something…_" he thought. Opening the door, he grabbed the bag of lemons and onions. Then he pulled a bag of frozen chicken breasts from the freezer.

_"Why are they called chicken breasts?"_ he wondered. _"I have yet to see a chicken with breasts. Or thighs, for that matter. Only those skinny, boney legs."_

He filled one side of the sink with hot water and dropped four large pieces of chicken into the water to thaw. While waiting for that to be done, he sliced the lemons into thin slices and set them in a bowl. He then cut the onions into quarters, ignoring the annoying sting in his eyes. The Midgardian cuisine amazed and confused him, even after almost two months in the realm.

He began going through the spice cabinet, wondering what Lily-Rose usually puts on it. He'd seen her make this once before, but hadn't been paying attention. Loki randomly began grabbing bottles; cinnamon, paprika, black pepper, celery salt, cumin, iodized salt.

_"These look like they'll do nicely,"_ he thought, sprinkling large amounts of each into a bowl and mixing the seasonings together. He set the oven to 400 degrees F, remembering Lily-Rose having done the same for previous chicken dinners. He pulled a glass Pyrex dish from a drawer and set in on the counter.

"This…" he said aloud, "is exceptionally easy." Grinning mischievously, he stretched his arms above his head, his back popping. A groan of pleasure escaped from his throat as his back muscles tightened then released. "Why does Lily-Rose make it look so stressful?"

Chuckling to himself at how mortals make the simplest things difficult, he drained the sink and removed the thawed chicken. He placed the raw meat in the Pyrex dish and sprinkled the seasons on top before dumping the lemons and onions onto the mixture. Feeling satisfied, he slipped the full dish into the oven. He washed his hands, annoyed at the slimy feeling left by the chicken, and went back to his room.

Sighing, he sat propped against the pillows on his bed, crossing his long legs in front of him and switching the small television one. Lily-Rose had helped his purchase it earlier in the week. He enjoyed watching some of the shows, especially the murder-mysteries. His favorite 'sitcom', as Lily-Rose called it, was 'Bones", though he found the very vivid descriptions and visualizations mildly disgusting. Many times, he found he could relate to Dr. Brennan, especially during her clueless moments. Watching how the innuendoes were explained to her made him aware of their meanings as well.

He soon lost track of time as he watched an episode, occasionally chuckling. While he observed, he began shifting again, relishing in the tingle the magic worked on his body. He switched from the form of his boyhood self, to a large tiger, to a majestic falcon, to the raven-haired beauty, then back to his natural form. Just feeling the magic sizzling beneath his skin made his heart race. Now, after having his power back for a while, it no longer tired him like it did when he first regained his ability.

Just as he was turning the channel, the smoke alarm went off, startling Loki. He leapt from the bed, unsure of what was happening, and ran from his room. Never before had he heard such an annoying sound, and he'd lived with Thor for countless years! He was preparing himself for an unknown attack when he smelled smoke. He sniffed the air before remembering that he'd put chicken in the oven.

Swearing, he ran to the kitchen and threw the oven door open. Squinting his eyes against the annoying smoke, he plunged his hands into the heat and grabbed the Pyrex dish. It took a moment before the pain in his hands registered. Roaring in pain, he dropped the dish and held his blistering hands before his eyes.

"Loki?" Lily-Rose called as she came in through the garage door. When she saw the look on his face, she gasped. "What happened?" She threw her keys on the counter and hurried to him.

"I-I was trying to fix dinner, and— "

"Come here," she said, turning the cold water on in the sink. "Put your hands here for a while."

Loki did as he was told, and instantly he felt relief as the cold water poured over his burning and tender hands. He sighed, closing his eyes. He heard Lily-Rose close the oven door behind him and he looked over his shoulder. He looked confused as she stood on a chair and began fooling with a device on the ceiling. "What are you doing?" he asked over the constant beep, wincing as the sound pierced his ears.

"Turning off the smoke detectors," she called, and soon enough, the sound stopped and Lily-Rose jumped from the chair, careful to avoid the hot Pyrex dish and spilt food, most of which was charred black. "What happened?" she asked, moving to open the windows and doors to allow the smoke to disperse.

Loki, feeling sheepish, didn't look at her. Instead, he focused on his hands as the blistering stopped and slowly began to heal. "I was waiting for your return, and wanted to have dinner prepared." He glanced at her then looked away. "I'd assumed you'd be stressed and didn't think you'd want to cook for us."

He heard Lily-Rose move, and suddenly she kissed him on the cheek. Loki froze, his eyes wide, and Lily-Rose knelt down behind him. "What was that for?" he asked in a low voice. He gently touched the spot where her lips had touched him with his fingertips, water droplets sliding down his hand and arm.

Lily-Rose didn't look at him as she used a pot-holder to turn the Pyrex dish over. "Because that was very sweet of you," she said, using her finger-tips to pick up the lemon slices, onions, and chicken, which were still burning hot.

"Even though it ended in disaster?" he said, sounding angry at himself.

Smiling, she looked up at him as he leaned against the counter, his arms crossed. "It's the thought that counts," she told him, her cheeks turning a bright pink. _"He fixed me dinner,"_ she thought. _"True, he burned it, but still…no one has done that since my Gamma."_

"Let me help you," said Loki's voice from in front of her.

Gasping, Lily-Rose jumped up as she switched her gaze between the two Lokis, her eyes wide. "What's going on?" she demanded, backing up.

To her surprise, both Lokis whooped and leapt in the air, smiling.

"Don't you see?" the Loki next to the sink said, a glint in his green eyes.

"This means another of my abilities has returned!" said the other Loki.

Lily-Rose slowly relaxed as the copy next to the sink held out his hand. The Loki in front of her slowly phased into nothing, and the Loki by the sink seemed to absorb him. Her shock ebbing away, Lily-Rose began to smile along with him. "Two back!" she said, stepping up to give him a congratulatory hug.

Just as she was pulling back, her cell phone rang. Glancing at the caller I.D., she saw that it was work. "Hello?" she answered, stepping away from the kitchen.

"Lily-Rose?" said the voice on the other end. "It's Mike."

"Hey, Mike," she said. "What's up?"

"Listen, my wife just called from the hospital, and I need to leave," he explained in a quick, worried voice.

"Okay, I'll be there in a few," she told him.

"Also, the cat, the black and orange calico, went into labor about twenty minutes ago."

Smiling, Lily-Rose assured Mike that she'd be there as soon as she could. Handing up, she turned back to Loki, who was watching her curiously. "Grab your shoes," she said, "you can put them on it the car."

She snatched up her keys and hurried to the garage. Something about her tone made Loki hurry beside her, still throwing curious glances her way.

"Mittens is having her babies," she said, backing out of the carport. "And Mike needs to leave, so we're going in."

It took them almost no time to drive to the shelter/hospital. Mike met them at the door.

"The cat hasn't given birth yet, but she's close," he told them as he held the door open for them. "Thanks for coming in, Lily-Rose, Loki. I really appreciate this."

"Don't worry about it," Lily-Rose said, waving him off. "Hope everything turns out all right."

As Mike left, Lily-Rose and Loki headed to the feline room. Loki went to stand in front of Mittens' cage while Lily-Rose plucked two pairs of protective gloves from the dispenser box. She handed one set to him and put on her own, stretching her fingers in the latex. She looked at Mittens, who was panting and straining, her fur damp. She continuously curled her legs to her body and unfolded them as the contractions hit.

"She's in a great deal of pain," Loki mumbled as he watched.

Lily-Rose nodded, her brow furrowed as she watched the struggling animal. "We might want to back off, not hover," she suggested. "Some animals will delay birth if they feel threatened." When it didn't look like he was going to move, she put her hand on his shoulder, turning him gently. "You can sit by the door. Just don't hover around."

Loki did as he was told, glancing at Mittens' cage every now and then. Lily-Rose gave him an encouraging smile. "Everything will be all right," she said, resting a hand on his shoulder lightly. He nodded, not looking at her, and she moved to check on the other animals. The night shift changed at midnight, so they only had five hours left. After going through the check list, she found that all the shelves had been stocked, the animals fed, and the adoption papers filed.

Wanting to stay busy, Lily-Rose began sweeping the bathrooms. Though she wasn't as much of a cleaning addict like her grandmother was, she still liked having things in order and looking nice. After she swept, she began mopping. While she worked, she began humming to herself, focusing on her task.

"Lily-Rose!" Loki called, startling her. She looked up to see him sprinting down the hallway. "Lily-Rose!"

"She's giving birth?" she asked, letting the mop fall as she ran out to meet him. They ran back to the feline room and slowed as they walked in, careful not to disturb Mittens.

The cat was in pain, howling as she tried to push. It tore at Lily-Rose's heart to hear such an agonized sound. Trembling slightly, she blinding reached out and grasped Loki's hand while they watched. Slowly, ever so slowly, Mittens gave birth, expelling the tiny kitten from her body. Smiling, Lily-Rose gently reached in and tore the membrane, allowing the newborn to take its first breath.

"Hand me a hand-towel," she whispered to Loki, who hurried to do as told. Lily-Rose softly rubbed behind Mittens' head encouragingly. "You're such a good girl."

"Here," Loki said, handing her a white rectangle of cloth.

Lily-Rose gently removed the kitten completely from its birth sack and wrapped it in the towel, very gently rubbing it to dry it of the amniotic fluid. It began uttering little squeaks as it began to crave its mother's milk. After Lily-Rose was sure it was clean, she set it near Mittens' stomach so it could nurse.

"There's another," Loki whispered as the mother cat pushed out another baby.

Lily-Rose repeated the process a total of four times, cleaning off each baby before placing it with its mother and litter mates. Now, the two watched as Mittens lay there while her kittens nursed, breathing heavily.

"She's so weak," Loki said, watching Mittens worriedly.

Lily-Rose nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. "She was malnourished for most of her pregnancy, and she was small to begin with," she commented, throwing her gloves away and brushing back her hair. "It was also a very long birth," she said, glancing at the clock, which now read 11:15pm.

She moved to Loki, who was staring at Mittens like a proud father. "So, Mr. God-of-Asgard," she said, nudging him. "What do you think?"

He glanced her then went back to watching the animals. "Life…especially new life," he said, "is extraordinary."

She smiled as Mittens slowly sat up and began cleaning her babies. "Let's let the tired family rest," she said. "I'd say they deserved it." As Loki followed her out, she switched off the brighter of the lights.

Loki followed her to the office, where she began filing the information on the newborn kittens. Stifling a yawn, Lily-Rose pulled her hair back and continued writing, blinking away sleep. "You going to wait here wh8ile I finish mopping?" she asked him as she finished the report.

He nodded sleepily, stretching his arms above his head. She watched him as he moved, arching his back and running his fingers through his hair, his brilliant eyes closed. Something stirred in her stomach as he stretched his legs out in front of him. She stood, blushing despite that he wasn't watching her. She held her breath as she stepped by his, walking quickly.

The mop was still laying where she'd dropped it, so she picked it up and resumed cleaning vigorously, trying to avoid certain thoughts. No matter how hard she tried, however, she couldn't help but think of Loki.

_"Yes, so he's gorgeous,"_ she told herself as she cleaned. _"But he's only here temporary. And he's a god. What would he want with a mortal?"_

A small voice spoke up in the back of her mind. _"If he's only here for a short while, why not take advantage of that time?"_ it said.

_"What, seduce him?"_ she scoffed at the idea. _"Why would he want me?"_

_"Why wouldn't he?"_ the voice countered smugly.

_"Well…because…"_ her thought trailed off and she got angry at herself. _"I am NOT going to argue with myself on this!"_

_"You already are,"_ the voice snickered.

Lily-Rose huffed, pushing the mop bucket to the maintenance closet and dumping out the water. As she was finishing up, the relief came. Lily-Rose woke Loki and they groggily walked out to their car. The ride home was silent as Lily-Rose fought to stay awake. Out of the corner of her eye, she occasionally saw Loki's head drop forward and jerk back up. She smiled to herself, her heart warm.

She pulled into the carport a few minutes later and cut the engine. As they walked into the house, the mess from earlier caught her eye. "You go on to bed," she said to Loki, who looked like he was about to fall over. "I'll clean this up."

"Good night," he said, yawning as he dragged his feet on the floor.

"Night," she called after him as she knelt down and began wiping up the mess, yawning openly as her muscles ached. Her mind was screaming at her to leave the mess for the morning, but she knew it'd be harder to clean up if she waiting.

Finally, after she'd scrubbed the floor and thrown the ruined meal away, she washed and changed into her pajamas. She entwined her hair into a loose braid that fell to her hips before she crawled into bed. She fell asleep before her head hit the pillow. Her last conscious thought was, "_Thank God we have tomorrow off."_

Her dreams had just started when the phone rang, waking her instantly. She glanced at the clock as she answered. She'd been asleep for only an hour.

"Hello?" she mumbled into the receiver.

"Lily-Rose?" It was Michelle, the night-shift operator at the shelter/hospital.

"Yeah?" she answered, waking slowly.

"I just wanted to call you," Michelle said, "since you made up the report and everything."

As Lily-Rose listened to what Michelle had to say, her body went cold.

"Thank you for telling me, Michi," she said before hanging up.

She felt numb as she threw back her covers and walked to Loki's room. She knocked on the door. When she got no answer, she pushed the door open. He was sprawled out on top of the covers, wearing only pajama pants. He was snoring slightly.

She walked over and gently shook his shoulder. "Loki?" her voice broke.

He jerked awake with a start and rolled over onto his back as he looked up at her. "What's the matter?" he asked, his voce slurred from sleep.

Tears filled her eyes as she sat on the bed beside him. "Michelle just called from work," she said. He watched her, wide awake now. "Mittens died."

_**Author's Note: I'm terrible, I know. I cried while writing this, and cried again while typing it up.**_

_**I know Loki seems different from he's portrayed in the movies, but he's been on Midgard for almost two months. I think he'd become a bit more relaxed, especially since he doesn't have enough power to resume his "take over the world", "KNEEL TO ME" plot. **_

_**Anyway, hope you enjoyed. I'm writing the next chapter now, and will probably have it uploaded either tonight or tomorrow. **_

_**~Loki's Army~**_


	7. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note: well, here's the next chapter. Told you I'd have it up shortly. The songs for this one were "Breaking the Habit" by Linkin Park and "Never Too Late" by Three Days Grace.**_

_**Warning: the first part is very graphic and violent. **_

**Chapter Six**

_Lily-Rose ran through the house, crying out Loki's name as she went. She was wearing a white summer-dress, but the hem and bodice were stained with blood. Her arms, chest, and legs had cuts on them, and she knew she hadn't caused them. Fear pulsed through her, racing through her blood as she ran, searching for Loki._

_"Why are you running, Little Flower?" called a sinister voice, and Lily-Rose uttered a shriek as she pushed herself to go faster._

_"You can't hide from me, Little Flower," the voice called attain as Lily-Rose threw open the back door. _

_What she saw stopped her frantic escape for just a moment. Her backyard was gone. Instead, there was a frozen wasteland with mountains of ice. Snow shards pierced her bare arms and legs as she ran out into the cold, pushed forward by her desperate need to escape the wicked voice that echoed in laughter around her._

_As she sprinted, ice clung to her shoes where she stepped down. Her breath fogged out in front of her as she panted. Suddenly, she couldn't move. The ice had cemented her ballet flats to the frozen ground. Screaming, she jerked her feet out of the shoes before her skin froze as well. She glanced behind her as she ran, and saw her pursuer for the first time._

_It was a blue woman, a cruel smile chiseled into her icy features as she glared in a menacing stare at Lily-Rose._

_"Stop running, Little Flower," the woman said, her deep purple cape billowing out from the wind. "You shall never escape."_

_Lily-Rose screamed, this time in pain as the frozen terrain shredded the skin of her feet. Soon, the ground was stained with her blood. "Loki!" she screamed, stumbling._

_"I am here," he said, materializing out of the snow flurries._

_"Oh!" she gasped, stumbling forward and clutching at him. When he didn't reach out to embrace her, she looked to his face. "Loki?"_

_He didn't look at her as he pushed her down. She grunted as her head hit the ice, stars forming in her eyes._

_"Grab her," said the blue woman as she glided toward them._

_Lily-Rose scrambled away from Loki as he lunged at her. She struggled to her feet as he reached toward her. That's when she saw his eyes. No longer the emerald green that she loved, they were now the same glowing crimson as the blue woman's. He sneered at her viciously as she turned and ran, easily leaping to his feet and chasing after her. For a brief moment, she thought he had her. His hand gripped the back of her dress, and the thin material shredded, leaving her to sprint completely bare in the ice._

_She thought she'd outrun the sadistic two when a sudden pain pierced her left shoulder, and she collapsed. Turning her head, she saw an arrow of pure ice protruding from her shoulder. Ice crept from the arrow and seemed to seep into her veins. It was so cold that it burned her. She was so paralyzed by the pain that she was unable to scream as Loki and the woman approached, her holding a bow._

_"I told you not to run, Little Flower," she said, her voice menacing as they came to a halt behind her. Tears began falling silently down Lily-Rose's cheeks as she stared at Loki. "He can't hear you, darlin'. He's mine." As if to prove her point, she pulled him into a passionate kiss, his body molding to hers, their arms entwined. Lily-Rose gasped in pain, trying to crawl away._

_"Uh, uh, uh," the woman taunted, materializing a whip of pure ice into her hand. She cracked it, catching Lily-Rose across the middle of her back._

_The pain was unbearable, but sill she tried to crawl away as the blue woman continued to whip her. Lash after lash drew streaks of blood from her back, her skin shredding and freezing under the ice weapon._

_"She won't give from this, my queen," Loki said from beside the woman. He had a cruel smile that matched the one the woman had._

_"What do you suggest, pet?" she asked, halting in mid-swing._

_Loki's evil eyes found Lily-Rose's, and her blood went cold as his malicious grin widened. "Let me break her," he suggested, narrowing his gaze. "I know her deepest, greatest fear."_

_"Very well," the woman said. "Do what you please."_

_Lily-Rose began gasping and trying to crawl away as Loki approached her. She turned away from him, clawing her way across the frozen ground. She uttered a scream as his hands pinned her to the ice. His knees separated her legs forcefully as she struggled._

_"No!" she begged. "Loki, don't do this!"_

_He struck her directly beneath the arrow wound, driving the breath from her lungs._

_"This is your greatest fear, Little Flower," the blue woman sneered._

Lily-Rose sat up in bed, gasping, her arms clutching at her chest as she tried to breathe. Tears and sweat dripped down her cheeks as she sat there, her hair completely soaked. A moan escaped her lips as she drew a sharp, ragged breath. Something shifted beside her, and she gasped as Loki, still asleep, pulled the covers up over him more. Choking back sobs, she scooted away from him, falling out of bed and onto the floor.

Her body shaking with her silent sobs, she told herself over and over, "_It was only a dream, that's all, just a nightmare."_

Afraid she'd wake him if she stayed, she crawled on all fours to the hallway, where she forced herself to stand and walk to her room. She headed to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. When she looked in the mirror, she almost screamed again. Her face was covered in red marks, as were her bare arms and her chest. It looked like she had clawed herself in her sleep. There were tiny spots of blood where her fingernails had torn her skin. Still sobbing, she prepared the water for a bath, her body trembling as she turned the tap for the hot water.

No matter what she did, she couldn't get the image of nightmare-Loki out of her head. She could still hear his evil laughter, still feel him pinning her and spreading her legs, doing **that** to her…

"No," she moaned, curling into the fetal position, her nails digging into her arms as she rocked back and forth. She stayed that way for a while, the only sound coming from the running water.

Her head spinning and her vision fading, she stood and stepped into the tub, still fully clothed, sinking into the boiling water. She couldn't feel it. Closing her eyes, she pulled a small blade from under the soap dish.

She let her head fall back onto the edge of the tub, her body submerged in the steaming water. She felt nothing, her hands moving as if they had a mind of their own. Her eyes were closed as she sat there. Soon, her breathing slowed, and her hands stopped moving.

Loki woke to find the bed cold. Last night, Lily-Rose had come to him, crying, and told him about Mittens.

"The babies are fine," she said through her tears, "they're with a surrogate. But Mittens was just too weak."

Loki had felt sadness at the news. Mittens had been the first thing he'd gotten attaché to upon his exile. Now she was gone. He'd held Lily-Rose while she wept, gently brushing back her hair, until they both fell asleep. She'd snuggled up beside him, and for the first time in his life, Loki didn't mind sharing his bed. He was surprised to find that her presence actually comforted him. He'd pulled the covers tight around her before falling asleep himself.

Missing her warmth, he stood and walked from the bed, heading to the kitchen as he pulled on a thick black shirt. The morning was a little cooler than usual. "Lily-Rose?" he called, expecting to find her at the table, a mug of hot tea in her hands as she read a book. Instead, he found an empty, cold kitchen. Shrugging, he looked outside. She wasn't on the back porch either.

An icy feeling crept down his spine as he moved to her locked door. Knocking, he called to her. In the distance, he could hear the bath running. He called her name louder, and still got no reply. His heart rate jumped, and he twisted the handle hard enough that it broke, the door swinging inwards.

He looked at her bed, which was unmade and empty, and headed toward the closed bathroom. He knocked loudly. "Lily-Rose!"

He heard her moan, groggily saying his name. Without a pause, he broke that doorknob as well. The scene before him turned his blood to ice.

Lily-Rose was fully dressed in the bathtub, but the water was tinted pink. He lunged forward, slipping on the water that had overflowed the tub, and turned the tap until it stopped. The water was like ice. At the bottom of the tub glinted a razor.

"Damn it, Lily-Rose," he growled, releasing the catch to drain the water.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, trying to open her eyes and look at him as he lifted her arms from the water. The bleeding had, thankfully, stopped. He moved to cup her face in both hands.

"Lily-Rose, look at me," he said, shaking her a little. When she didn't open her eyes, he tried again. "Look at me!"

Her eyes flew open and he breathed a sigh of relief. The water was completely drained from the tub, and she began to shiver from the cold. He grabbed a towel and wrapped her in it, lifting her easily. His shirt was soon soaked through, but he couldn't feel it.

"Don't go to sleep, Lily-Rose," he said, sitting her in the barstool she kept in the bathroom. "Don't you dare."

"I won't," she mumbled.

"Why'd you do it?" he demanded angrily. He was mad at her for scaring him, but mostly mad at himself for caring so much that he did get scared. "Why?"

"Why what?" she asked, fully awake now. His tone seemed to have made her angry as well. He glared and pointed to her arms, to which she gasped. Her eyes were wide, filling with tears. "I didn't…I don't…what happened? I don't remember doing this!"

Lokis stared at her in disbelief. "You don't remember doing something this bad?" he asked. "It's worse than before!" He turned from her and got the medical supplies from under the sink.

"I didn't do this!" she sobbed, holding her arms out in front of her.

He looked at her, still kneeling at the cabinet, and saw that she was truly terrified. He slowly stood, alcohol and bandages in hand. "What do you remember?" he asked, watching her carefully.

She took a shuddering breath, her eyes darting back and forth wildly as she gasped. "Michelle's phone call…telling you…crying…" she trailed off for a moment. "Then a nightmare. I-I don't remember what it was about, all I know is it felt so real. I woke and came inhere to wash my face, then…nothing until you yelled at me." She looked at him, fear in her eyes. "Am I going crazy?"

Loki set the things on the counter and embraced her tightly, trying to calm her trembling. "No, you aren't going crazy," he said. He rocked her as she cried, trying to sooth her.

_"This wasn't an ordinary dream,_" he thought, resting his cheek on the crown of her head. _"Someone manipulated her dreams, the possessed her, making her hurt herself."_ He glared at his reflection in the mirror. _"If this is Odin's was of taunting me, I will make him beg for death."_

After a few moments, Lily-Rose calmed enough for Loki to begin doctoring her cuts, which were jagged and deep. She didn't say a word, though he knew the alcohol was causing her pain. All along both arms, from elbow to wrist were wounds. Thirteen on each arm. When he was finished, he left the bathroom so she could change into warmer, dry clothes. He went to his room and stared at the mirror, longing to reach the rest of his powers. He could feel the magic beneath his surface, just out of reach. Grinding his teeth, he changed his damp clothes as well, slipping on an olive-green cotton shirt and a pair of dark jeans.

As he was pulling on a pair of socks, he heard a knock on his door. "Come in," he called, sitting on his bad.

Lily-Rose pushed the door open and stood in the doorway, her arms crossed protectively across her chest. "I want you to come to my meeting today," she said, not looking at him. She kept pinching the lavender cotton of her long-sleeve shirt, her head lowered slightly.

He stood and nodded. "When do we leave?" he asked.

"Now," she said. "I called for an emergency session."

They rode in silence, the radio not even playing as Lily-Rose forced herself not to think about this morning. The blankness of her memory terrified her, and she hated that. As soon as she'd changed clothes, she'd called Dr. Gregory, who'd been happy to rearrange her schedule to see Lily-Rose this morning.

"If you talk to her," she said quietly, getting Loki's attention, "be sure not to tell Dr. Gregory about you being from Asgard, or a god, or anything like that. Just say you're from Britain."

He nodded, then went back to looking out the window. Lily-Rose felt tears brimming in her eyes again. _"I've made him angry at me,"_ she thought. _"And he should be. I broke my promise to him. He should be furious."_ She held back the tears, blinking rapidly so she could see clearly.

They pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car. Lily-Rose was nervous. She was afraid of the punishment she could possibly receive. Taking a deep breath, she led him to Dr. Gregory's office.

"Dr. Gregory, this is my roommate, Loki," she said, glancing between the two. "Loki, this is Dr. Gregory." The two shook hands and Lily-Rose sat down, Loki sitting beside her.

"So tell me what happened?" Dr. Gregory said, adjusting herself in her own chair.

"I don't really know," Lily-Rose explained. When she got a confused look, she went on. "It started yesterday. Loki and I were present when one of the cats at our job went into labor. We watched her have four kittens. After we went home, I got a call that Mittens, the momma cat, had died. She was too small to give birth." She looked up at the doctor. "I know better than to get attached, but sometimes it just happens anyway. I told Loki, and then cried myself to sleep."

"I had a nightmare that I remember absolutely nothing about," she said, looking at Dr. Gregory. "I mean, I usually remember all or most of my dreams, but the only thing I remember from last night was that it hurt and I was scared. I'd never been so scared. When I woke, I was lightheaded. I went to my bathroom and locked the door. Apparently, I turned on the bath water and sat in the tub, still dressed. I don't remember any of this. Loki found me asleep in cold water." She glanced at him. "He could probably explain it better."

Loki cleared his throat and held Dr. Gregory's gaze evenly. "I found her in a tub that was tainted pick with blood," he said. "She was asleep, thirteen cuts on each arm. She says she doesn't remember doing it, and I believe her. Her reaction when she saw the wounds could not possibly be faked."

"Describe it," Dr. Gregory requested.

"Fear, disgust, anger, confusion," he said, his fingers lacing together in his lap. "I bandaged the cuts and let her change into dry clothes. Then we came here."

Dr. Gregory wrote something down in Lily-Rose's file before facing her patient. "I believe you have stressed-induced anxiety," she said. "I'd like to prescribe you a medication that you take every morning and night." She handed Lily-Rose a slip of paper, which the younger woman slipped into her pocket.

"Now, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to speak to Mr. Loki privately for a few moments," Dr. Gregory said, smiling politely.

Lily-Rose, her curiosity piqued, stood and walked into the lobby. She gave the receptionist a shy smile and sat down, closing her eyes.

"I'd like to know what your relationship is with Miss DeRusha," Dr. Gregory said, watching Loki closely. She was reclined in her chair, her hands folded in her lap.

Loki was a little shocked at the abrupt and forward way she'd asked, but he didn't let it show. "We are friends," he said, crossing his legs casually. "Roommates. We look out for each other."

"No romance or intimacy?"

Loki chuckled. "We do not see each other that way, Doctor," he said, amusement lighting in his eyes. "But should it happen, I'll be sure to call you first thing." When Dr. Gregory's eyes narrowed, he only smirked wider. "Is that all?"

"You do understand that I only have Miss DeRusha's best interest in mind, correct?" Dr. Gregory said, her voice like ice.

Loki stood. "As do I," he said, staring down at her. "Lily-Rose is a very special woman, and she deserves only the best in life."

Without another word, he turned and left, meeting Lily-Rose in the lobby. She looked tired and drawn, almost like she'd age during the night. _"She just needs a good nights sleep,"_ he told himself.

As they walked out to the car, he said something that surprised even himself. "Lily-Rose," he said, looking over the hood of her car at her, "will you teach me to cook?"

_**Author's Note: yes, I know, completely random ending. I didn't want it to stop on a depressing subject, so I figured I'd lighten the mood. Besides, can't you just imagine Loki trying to scramble eggs? XD**_

_**Anyway, this is just for clarification: NO, Lily-Rose did NOT sleep with Loki. There was ABSOLUTELY NO INTERCOURSE that night. NO, Lily-Rose did NOT pass out from blood-loss in the tub, she just fell asleep. That part was written out of personal experience (with the exception of the dream manipulation and possession thing). **_

_**Anyway, enjoy and review!**_


	8. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note: all right, here's chapter seven. This one is very interesting, though it does get violent in the end, as well as bad language. The songs for this chapter were 'E.T.' by Katy Perry during Lily-Rose's POV and 'Next Contestant' by Nickel Back during the latter of Loki's POV. **_

_**Enjoy!**_

**Chapter Seven**

Loki pushed the shopping cart through the crowded store, Lily-Rose walking beside the half full cart. Apparently, that night was the Midgardian holiday called 'Halloween', and Lily-Rose wanted to get more decorations for the work party and their costumes. He didn't understand it, but she was excited about it.

"It's a masquerade," she was telling him as she added more containers of false cobwebs to their load. "Do you have anything in particular you'd like to go as?"

"How about I go as Loki, the God of Mischief, Trickery, and Lies?" he said, staring at a horribly fake severed hand. "Do mortals really believe this? It's so obvious false."

Lily-Rose laughed, snatching the plastic hand from him. "On every normal day, no they don't believe," she said, putting it back on the shelf. "But on Halloween, they **want** to believe. It's a chance for everyone to unleash their inner self, no matter who that might be."

He watched her as she added more things to their cart, including bags of candy and little toys for the children. He did not know what she was planning to go as, nor would he see until the party began, seeing as she was going to help set up and then change at the shelter. All of the workers had spent the day before rearranging the storeroom, clearing the space and cleaning for the great event.

"I think we have enough," she said, turning to look at him. "Would you like help choosing your costume?"

He shook his head and allowed her to take over the cart. "I'll be there shortly," he said. "You go on and purchase our items." He waved her off when she began to object, and turned, heading back to observe the selections.

He saw many that confused him, including one that looked like a blue monkey and an obese baby. One that seemed to be popular was something called a 'Dracula' and one called a 'Neo'. He made a mental note to ask Lily-Rose about it later as he continued to search. He was about to give up when he spotted one that looked intriguing. He stared at it for a long moment, then decided it was the best he would find. The only reason he even wanted to go to the occasion was to check on the kittens. Thankfully, they were healthy and thriving.

As he made his way to the front of the store, he saw Lily-Rose standing outside, loading everything into the work van. She'd trusted Loki enough to allow him to use her car, especially since he was such a quick study and had mastered it in only a few hours.

"Did you find everything okay, sir?" the cashier asked in a bored tone.

Loki fixed him with a disgusted sneer. The boy, who looked barely sixteen, just rolled his eyes and proceeded with the purchase.

_"The youth of this realm are not courteous,"_ he thought as he took the black plastic bag from the boy, who told him to have a 'Happy Halloween'.

Imagining the things he would've done to the boy in the past, he began to smirk as he walked out to Lily-Rose's car, his left hand resting casually in the pocket of the black jacket he wore over a hunter green knit shirt.

"Find something?" Lily-Rose asked excitedly. When he held up the bag, she clapped giddily. "Let me see?"

He chuckled. "You will have to wait, madam, until tonight," he said, giving her a low mock-bow, to which she returned a clumsy curtsey.

"All right," she said, laughing. "I will see you tonight. Don't forget. Seven o'clock."

He nodded as he slipped into the driver's seat, setting his purchase in the back. He watched as she got into the van, waving as she drove off. He turned the car on, listening to the man on the radio sing about 'don't fear the reaper'. It had a melodic beat that Loki enjoyed as he drove to the house. The day was cool, relaxing. The leaves had begun their change of color and started falling from the trees. It was very different from Asgard, where the weather depended on the mood of Odin; it was nearly always warm and bright, the foliage colorful and alive.

As Loki walked past the kitchen, he saw that it was only one o'clock. He still had plenty of time to get ready and take a nap. Shrugging out of his jacket, he tossed it over the chair in the corner and took his costume out of the bag, hanging it up to avoid the wrinkles.

Loki stretched his arms above his head as he sat on the edge of his bed, kicking off his shoes. Without bothering to draw back the covers, Loki grabbed one of his pillows and lay down, slowly slipping into a world of dreams.

_"I could've done it, Father!" he screamed at Odin, who held onto Thor's ankle. "I could've done it! For you! For all of us!" He felt his grip slipping as he grasped his staff, hovering over the brink of oblivion. _

_The disappointment in Odin's eye cut through Loki like a sword, freezing his heart as the Allfather uttered two world-shattering words: "No, Loki."_

_He went numb, not even hearing Thor yelling as he released his hold on the staff, falling down, down, down…_

_He was before the Chitauri, watching as the creature paced back and forth._

_"You cannot use me again," he told it, glaring at the monster who had tortured him. "You have nothing to manipulate me with."_

_The Chitauri smiled. At least, that's what Loki thought it did. "I think you may change your mind, Loki Laufeyson," it said, waving its hand in midair._

_Loki went cold as Lily-Rose appeared, looking beaten and bruised._

_"Loki!" she gasped at the same time he yelled, "Lily-Rose!"_

_She ran toward him, but just as their fingertips met, she started screaming, the sound ripping at him. She dropped to the ground, writhing in agony. She screamed so forcefully that the blood vessels in her eyes burst, and her eyes filled with blood._

_"No!" Loki roared, launching himself at the Chitauri and-_

Loki sat up, panting, sweat making his hair cling to his face. His eyes were wide as he sat there, catching his breath. He ran a hand across his brow, brushing the hair out of his eyes. Never before had he dreamt of something so real, so life-like.

"What is wrong with me?" he wondered aloud as he stood and stripped down to his undershorts. _"Maybe a hot shower will clear my head,"_ he thought, walking across the hall to his bathroom.

Lily-Rose had been working since her arrival at nine that morning. Finally, at twenty to six, she was finished, Michelle had helped, though she wasn't able to stay for the party. Mike said he'd be bringing his wife and children by later, including his newborn son, Chris Liam.

"You all can go home and get ready," she told the remaining staff members. "I can manage until seven."

She waited for all of them to leave before she jumped into the shower that was mainly used during hurricanes when someone had to be there 24/7. She washed her hair quickly, knowing that the hot water wouldn't last more then ten minutes. In record time, she had her bathing routine completed and was toweling her hair dry. She put in some products to make her hair shinier and more manageable when it dried before she took out her makeup bag.

She used different shades of blue to cause a fade-out effect for her eyes, then drew swirls with her eye-liner. After she was done, she put a tiny yellow jewel at the top and bottom swirl, and a blue one for the middle. When she was done with her eyes, she gave them a studious look, smiling when she declared them perfect.

"Now the hard part," she mumbled to herself as she took the curling iron from her bag. She was never able to fix her hair just the way she wanted, but she prayed that it would at least look presentable tonight. Every now and then, she felt the heat of the iron near her skin, but she ignored it.

Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was a quarter to seven. She packed up her personal things and hurried to her office to don her dress, gloves, and mask.

Loki adjusted his mask as he turned the car engine off. His dark hair was brushed back and held in place by what Lily-Rose called 'hair gel'. He was wearing a crisp, white dress shirt beneath an embroidered burgundy silk vest. Black slacks encased his long legs, and a half cape was slung around his shoulders. Given that he didn't know who he was portraying, he hoped he'd gotten it right as he walked to the already crowded building. He nodded at a few of his coworkers while he maneuvered around the costumed children that ran throughout the throng, darting between the adults.

A woman who wore an extremely revealing 'maid' costume came up to him and tried to wrap her arms around his waist.

"Come have some fun, monsieur," she said in a terribly fake accent, her speech slurred.

Loki made a disgusted sound in his throat and extracted her from his body. Giving her a false smile, he steered her toward a man who looked to be every bit as intoxicated as she smelled.

Hoping to avoid anymore trouble, he slipped away from the party and went to the feline room, curious about the kittens. Their surrogate mother, a bright orange tabby, was asleep when he opened the cage. With gentle hands, he picked up the only little female of the littler. She was also the only one with her mother's colors and markings. Though they weren't supposed to give the animals personal names, Loki called the little girl Jinx. She even knew the sound of his voice.

"How are you, little one?" he asked, holding her up. Their eyes had yet to open. She gave him a shrill mew, causing him to smile. She nuzzled his hand, nipping gently at his fingers.

Still cradling Jinx in one hand, he checked on her three brothers, all of whom were solid black. They each awoke with a protesting squeal, then began nursing on the orange tabby, who gave him a "gee, thanks" look.

Just as he was about to place Jinx back with her family, he saw that her eyes had opened, revealing the brightest blue he'd ever seen. Smiling, he allowed her to go back to her brothers and eat. _"I need to tell Lily-Rose,"_ he thought, sweeping out of the room, his cape flaring out behind him.

The slight roar of the music reached him as a man (at least, he thought it was a man) was singing something about a 'thriller'. He slipped silently into the dimly-lit room, scanning the crowd. He was beginning to get annoyed with the number of dancing people, when suddenly, he saw her. His breath caught in his throat as he gazed at her from across the room.

Her hair was in tight curls that were piled elegantly on top of her head and held in place by golden stars. Her dress was off-the-shoulder, and a deep shade of gold that made her skin glow. She had on a pair of elbow-length golden gloves than enchanted her hands to be more elegant. Her mask was a strip of light gold lace that covered her eyes. The bodice of her gown enhanced her narrow waist while the skirts flared around her legs.

She took his breath away as he slowly began to walk toward her across the dance floor.

Lily-Rose had just handed a cup of blood-punch (Hawaiian) to a little Frankenstein when she sensed someone watching her. She straightened and turned, instantly finding the culprit.

_"Oh, my…_" she thought as her heart hammered in her chest as Loki made his way through the couples dancing to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'.

She elegantly lifted her skirts so she could meet him as the music changed. It wasn't a Halloween song at all, but a slow ballad by Josh Groban. She knew and loved the song. _"You raise me up,"_ she thought.

"You look enchanting," Loki said as they reached each other. He bowed, all joking and mischievous looks about him gone as he held his hands out to dance with her.

"As do you." She curtseyed before taking his hand. His other palm pressed against the small of her back, and she could swear her dress was about to catch fire.

They began a slow waltz around the mostly empty dance floor, their eyes only for each other.

"So you went with the Phantom of the Opera," she commented on his costume. It definitely suited him.

He nodded, half of his face giving her a dazzling smile. "I preferred a human to a giant blue creature called an 'avatar'," he said, causing her to laugh. "Forgive me, but I do not know your costume."

She blushed, staring at him through her lace 'mask'. "I'm Belle from 'Beauty and the Beast'," she said. "It's a really romantic story."

As the music swelled dramatically, Loki began to spin her in elegant circles, both her skirts and his cape flying out. Lily-Rose felt as if in a dream as he lead her in dramatic arches around the floor, his green eyes gazing deeply into hers. She rested her head against his shoulder for a moment, and felt him humming with the music.

She smiled at him, her heart pounding in her chest as their hands intertwined around each other. "You are an amazing dancer," she said.

"As are you, my lady," he said, his voice close enough to her ear that his warm breath tickled her, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

Unfortunately, the song could not go on forever, and the music faded out. The sound of clapping reached their ears, and they turned to see the entire building applauding them. Lily-Rose felt her cheeks burning as Loki bowed. Feeling out of place, she curtseyed. She glanced up at him as an upbeat song started playing. "You should dance with others," she said, trying to be heard over the music.

"Why?" he asked, giving her a funny look.

"To make friends," she said. "Besides, I need to go back to serving drinks."

He reluctantly nodded and disappeared into the crowd. Lily-Rose moved back to the refreshment table, smiling brightly.

"You were so wonderful with that young man," said and elderly woman who had a grip on her costumed grandchild.

"Thank you, ma'am," she replied, handing out punch.

"Where is your boyfriend?" asked a voice behind her, and she whipped around to come face-to-face with Natasha Romanoff.

"What are you doing here?" Lily-Rose demanded. She spotted three others behind her; two of them she recognized at Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner.

"Checking up on things, Miss DeRusha," Bruce said. He wasn't dressed up or wearing a mask, yet he still managed to blend into the background.

Lily-Rose eyed the strange man, who was watching Loki with a stare like a hawk. "And you are?" she asked, drawing his gaze to her.

"Barton," he said, shifting his icy blue eyes back to Loki.

"Look, lets go outside," Lily-Rose said, grabbing Bruce's and Steve's arms and ushering them into the empty hall. She led them out to the back parking lot. Making sure that no one was around, she turned to them. Steve and Barton—_"Loki said his name is Clint Barton, Hawkeye!" _she thought—were wearing masks that covered half their faces.

"Everything is fine," she said, glaring at them. "Why are you here? Are you trying to start problems?"

"Look, ma'am," Clint said, cutting her off, "you don't know what he's capable of."

"He doesn't have his powers!" Lily-Rose yelled at him. She glared at Clint.

"Calm down," Natasha said, removing the little mask from around her eyes. She shot Clint a look. "We meant no problems by coming here."

Bruce stepped close to Lily-Rose, nervously cleaning his glasses. "We told you we'd be checking up with everything, Miss Lily-Rose," he said.

She chewed on her bottom lip, feeling embarrassed. "I'm sorry I got so defensive," she said. "Things are going fine. He hasn't tried to take over any mini-marts. He's working a full-time job, pays half of the electricity and groceries, and buys his own things."

Steve didn't say anything as the other three exchanged looks. "We're only here for your safety, Miss DeRusha," he told her.

"I understand that," she said. "Just next time, call first?"

Clint and Natasha walked off, practically becoming invisible in the night. "Will do, ma'am," Steve said, giving her a mini-salute before following them.

Bruce took a step, then turned to Lily-Rose. "I know how frustrating it is to have people constantly checking up on you," he said, looking at her fully. "We shouldn't have to for too much longer."

Lily-Rose relaxed. "I don't mind if you check up, Bruce," she said. "You don't act like Loki is about to explode. I can actually see us getting to know each other better, becoming friends."

He grinned. "You look beautiful," he said. "Go, enjoy the party." He plucked up her hand and planted a chaste kiss on the back of it. He smiled and Lily-Rose blushed as he followed the others, occasionally glancing back over his shoulder at her. She smiled and waved at him.

Just as she was turning around, someone punched her jaw. Uttering a little scream, she collapsed to the pavement, skinning her knees through her stockings. Pressing her hand to her throbbing jaw, she looked up but saw no one. Suddenly someone yanked back on her hair, jerking her head backwards. She shrieked and looked face-to-face with her ex.

"Derek!" she gasped, inhaling the stench of vodka. He'd been drinking. **A lot.** Just smelling it made her gag.

"You little slut!" he growled, jerking her head back farther. She whimpered, tears filling her eyes. "You fucking cunt!"

She cried out as he buried his face into her neck, licking, nuzzling. When he bit down, she screamed as tears fell down her cheeks. "Let me go," she begged, trying to push him away. He only bit down harder.

"Let her go!" someone yelled, and Derek released Lily-Rose completely. She fell forward, her cheek slapping to the pavement. Moaning, she rolled over and saw Loki fighting Derek.

"Don't you ever touch her again!" Loki yelled, slamming his fist into the man's sternum. Derek doubled over, and Loki punched his jaw. The blow threw the man back several feet.

"Stop!" Lily-Rose cried as Derek roared and lunged at Loki, tackling him to the ground. "Stop this!"

They ignored her as they struck each other, blocking and landing blows. Loki had the upper hand, being sober and trained for Asgardian combat. Still, Derek managed to strike him a few times. Growling, Loki punched him, sending Derek stumbling backwards.

Derek roared, drawing a knife.

"No!" Lily-Rose screamed at Derek lunged toward Loki.

Loki had been looking for Lily-Rose when a sense of dread fell upon him. He pushed through the crowd and hurried to the back parking lot, the one nobody ever used. There, he saw Lily-Rose struggling as she knelt on the ground. She was screaming as Derek bit her neck, his fist jerking back on her hair.

Loki saw red as he raced toward them, roaring "Let her go!"

Derek had looked up, blood dripping from his bared teeth, as Loki lunged, tackling the mortal. Lily-Rose had fallen forward out of the fray as Loki fought with Derek, who was surprisingly strong despite intoxication.

"Don't you ever touch her again!" Loki yelled, slamming his fist into Derek's chest. When he doubled over, Loki struck his jaw, which sent the man flying.

He heard Lily-Rose scream as Derek stood, knife in hand as he rushed toward Loki. "Move, Loki!" Lily-Rose screamed.

Instead, Loki took a deep breath and waited. He felt magic tingle along his spine as Derek sliced a long gash from his shoulder to elbow. Loki hissed, ignoring the pain.

"What is going on here?" Derek roared, turning around, wildly swinging his blade. "Where did you go, you bastard?"

Loki chanced a glance down at himself and began grinning when he saw nothing. His grin disappeared when Derek turned on Lily-Rose, who was glancing around, her cobalt eyes wide and fearful.

"Where did he go, bitch?" Derek demanded, taking a step towards her. She stumbled backwards away from him as he raised his knife.

"I am here," Loki hissed behind Derek's ear. He ducked as Derek swung around. Slinking around to the other side, still invisible, Loki blew hot air against the back of the man's neck. "No, I am here."

"Stop it!" Derek yelled, hysteria growing in his voice. He gripped the knife in his fist as he swung wildly, trying to hit what he could not see.

Loki gritted his teeth as Derek got lucky and sliced a shallow cut across his chest. He swung back his fist, ready to strike. "Here I am," he said, dropping the magic and letting his fist fly. It struck Derek squarely in the nose, and the mortal man flew backwards head first and landed a few feet away, barely conscious.

"Loki!" Lily-Rose gasped, running to him. He wrapped his cut around her as she embraced him.

Just then, the crowd from the party swarmed outside. Loki never took his eyes from derek's stirring form.

"What happened?" someone demanded.

"Is there a fight?"

"The police are on their way!"

Lily-Rose clung to Loki, her body trembling. "Let me do the talking," she told him quietly as people surrounded him. He nodded, not wanting to deal with anything more.

Within minutes, Loki and Lily-Rose, still with her arms around him, were questioned by the police. As she talked, he just nodded occasionally.

"So, Derek attacked you?" the officer repeated. "Came at you with a knife?"

Lily-Rose nodded. "Then Loki pushed him back," she said. "Derek then attacked him. He would've killed both of us had Loki not fought him away."

The questioning seemed to go on for hours. They denied medical attention from the paramedics on scene. They were heading back to Lily-Rose's car when Derek was being pushed into a police car, his hands handcuffed behind his back.

"I'll get you, bitch!" he roared at them, lunging out of the car. Four officers surrounded him and Loki ushered Lily-Rose along faster. "I'll kill both of you!"

Lily-Rose drove them home, her hands shaking. Neither of them spoke; the silence was thick as she pulled into the garage. As she was unlocking the door, her hand was trembling too much to insert the key into the deadbolt.

"Let me," Loki said quietly, taking it from her and letting them inside.

As she turned on the lights, Lily-Rose got a good look at Loki. Blood soaked his chest and arm, and his lip was bleeding. His left eye was swollen shut, the bruise a deep violet.

"Oh," she gasped, raising her hand to her mouth to hide her trembling lips. Her neck throbbed as she pulled a chair out. "Sit."

He listened, looking too exhausted to argue. She kicked off her golden high heels and hurried to get her medical kit. When she returned, she found him sitting exactly how she left.

Biting her lip to halt the trembling, she unbuttoned his torn and dirty vest and shirt, removing them from his body. His chest wound wasn't as bad as she thought, but the cut on his arm would need stitches, despite his Asgardian healing. She took some gauze from the kit and soaked it in alcohol. She began cleaning the blood from his chest, glancing up to see him watching her.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice choking up as she worked on her task.

He looked confused. "For what?"

She cleared her throat as she applied a bandage to his cut. "For saving me." She then began cleaning his arm, wincing as she wiped away blood. With surprisingly steady hands, she applied butterfly stitches, knowing he'll be fully healed by morning. When she looked up at him, her neck throbbed violently and she winced.

"What's wrong?" Loki asked at her pain.

"Derek bit me," she replied, wiping blood from his lip.

"Show me," he said.

Closing her eyes, she pulled her hair from her neck to show him the bite. It felt horrible, throbbing every time she turned her head. "Is it bad?" she asked.

He didn't reply, only stood and forced her to sit in his chair. She opened her eyes as he soaked a square of gauze with alcohol. She whimpered as the medicine stung. She balled up her fists and bit her lip against the pain, keeping her breathing normal. He worked quickly, cleaning her wound and the area around it.

"Done," he said, standing straight.

Lily-Rose gazed up at him, mesmerized by his emerald eyes. He held out a hand to help her stand, and she slipped her palm into his, shivering at its warmth. She slowly stood, standing flush against him, their eyes still gazing into each other. As he leaned down toward her, her world stood still. Her lips met hers, and a spark ignited in her chest as warmth flowed from his kiss throughout her body. Fireworks went off in her mind as they stood in her kitchen in their dirty and bloody costumes, their lips locked.

_**Author's Note: Well, what do you think? I told you, it'd be interesting. Please review!**_


	9. Chapter 8

_**Author's Note: this chapter is a little shorter than usual, but oh well. Next chapter is going to be big. Promise!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

**Chapter Eight**

Lily-Rose woke, gasping as she fought off the remnants of another nightmare. She took calming breaths, switching her beside lamp on. Her bedroom lit up, shadows disappearing along with her fear. Still trembling, she slipped from her bed and grabbed her faded pink robe. She slowly wrapped it around herself, brushing back her tangled hair.

As quietly as she could, she slipped from her room and padded to the kitchen in her bare feet, switching on the stove to heat up some water. Wincing as the clink of glass against glass, she plucked a coffee mug from the cabinet and set in on the counter. Rubbing her arms to ward off the chill, she retrieved the spiced orange flavored tea from the pantry and dropped one of the bags into the mug. She yawned at she grabbed the container of sugar from the fridge.

As she prepared her tea, she thought about her nightmare. It was the same as before; Loki's crimson eyes, the blue woman, running through the frozen wasteland, cruel laughter. Even remembering it now, when she was wide awake, sent shivers down her spine. Sighing aggravated, she removed the tea kettle before it started its shrill whistle.

As she waited for her tea to cool, she silently walked to her room and got her journal, something she'd started under Dr. Gregory's suggestion. In it, Lily-Rose wrote her thoughts, concerns, dreams, and questions; whatever troubled her, she wrote it down. It seemed to ease her mind, for which she was very thankful. It had come in very handy during the past few weeks; especially since Halloween.

Lily-Rose blushed as she remembered the one, and only, kiss she and Loki'd shared on Halloween night. Both of them had looked terrible, their costumes ruined with dirt and blood. Loki had completely recovered in two days, while the wound on Lily-Rose's neck was still scabbed over. To avoid attention being drawn to it, she wore scarves around her neck. As much as she tried, she knew it would leave an ugly scar.

She sighed as she sat at the kitchen table, her mug of tea steaming pleasantly as she began to write:

"_It happened again, journal. That dream. It was just as terrible and frightening as the first time. I can still feel the cold beneath my feet, the cuts across my back, the arrow in my shoulder…I can hear her laughing, telling me it's pointless to run._

_What does this dream mean?_

_That Loki will one day rape and kill me?"_

She paused, taking a sip of her now cooled tea. Warmth spread from her stomach to the rest of her body as she smiled and resumed her writing, knotting the fingers of her left hand in her hair.

"_Or is this my subconscious' way of telling me that I want to sleep with Loki? If so, it's a very twisted way of stating the obvious._

_I can't stop thinking about that kiss. Neither of us has acted on it since, and that has me wondering was it a mistake? An accident? His was of comforting me?_

_Doe he even feel the same?_

_Or does he regret it?_

She sighed, putting the pen down and flexing her fingers. She drained the rest of her tea and placed the mug in the sink for later.

"_I need to stop thinking about it so much, but I can't."_

A sound caused her to look up, startle. It sounded like moaning. Closing her journal and laying down her pen, she stood and followed the sound to Loki's room, where it grew louder. She knocked gently.

"Thor…" Loki mumbled, barely audible.

Lily-Rose opened the door to see Loki tossing in his sleep, his brow furrowed.

"Father…" he moaned, his voice worried and low. He rolled over, throwing the covers off his body entirely.

Lily-Rose tip-toed to his bed, concerned. "Loki?" she asked, brushing back his hair. He jerked away from her, still asleep, and rolled to the other side of the bed. Lily-Rose slipped her robe off and climbed into the bed, slipping easily between the gray sheets. She pulled the hem of her nightgown down as she scooted closer to him.

"No…" he murmured as he rolled over again, facing her.

Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. In his sleep, he clutched at her, burying his face into her chest as he wrapped his long arms around her waist. Almost instantly, he calmed, his sleep becoming gentle and easy. His bare back was warm beneath her arms.

Smiling softly, Lily-Rose ran her fingers soothingly through his hair, brushing it back from his face. She placed a soft kiss on his forehead as she closed her eyes, slipping into her own sleep.

Loki opened his eyes several hours later, sunlight streaming through his window. He was surprised to find Lily-Rose in his bed, holding his as they slept. What surprised him more was that **he** was holding her as well. Her warm body was pressed snuggly against his as they slumbered.

He gently extracted himself from her limbs and the sheets, trying not to wake her. He pulled on his shirt before pulling the blankets over her shoulder.

_"She must've had a bad dream,"_ he thought as he prepared a hot shower in the bathroom. Within minutes, the small room was filled with steam as he stripped and stood beneath the cascade of boiling water.

As the hot water turned to cold, Loki shut off the shower, quickly toweling off and getting dressed. As his hair dripped down his back, he checked on Lily-Rose, who was still buried beneath his covers. He smiled a little before he shut the door and headed to the kitchen. On the table, he saw her journal and pen.

_"She must've written here before crawling in bed with me,"_ he thought. _"Must've been some nightmare."_

He moved the notebook out of the way as he got out a large bowl. He moved to the fridge and started pulling out items; eggs, shredded cheddar cheese, cherry tomatoes, baby onions with the stems, milk, and butter. He set all of his items on the table. Turning, he set a large skillet on the store with the burner on 'medium'. He scooped out a spoonful of butter and let it splat in the skillet.

Turning his back to the stove, he cracked several large eggs into the bowl, tossing the empty shells in the trash can. He then diced up the tomatoes and onions before adding those to the bowl. Concentrating, he measured out a quarter cup of milk into the mixture. He tossed in a large handful of cheese in the bowl, and added salt, pepper, and a pinch of cinnamon before mixing it all together with a whisk.

Once he was sure it was mixed thoroughly, he dumped the entire thing into the skillet, which uttered a deep hiss as the eggs began to cook instantly. He plucked a spatula from the drawer beside the stove and began stirring the eggs as they cooked, making sure they were getting cooked through. The smell was making his stomach growl as he stood over the stove.

"Mmm…" Lily-Rose moaned as she came into the kitchen, ruffling her hair, "that smells good."

He nodded as she began fixing the toast, her robe synched at her narrow waist. Just as he was finishing the eggs, she was dropping hot, toasted bread onto the plates, his stomach growling loudly. As soon as he dropped the empty skillet into the sink, he sat down and started shoveling eggs into his mouth, ignoring the heat.

Lily-Rose laughed as he ate. She poured them each a glass of milk before sitting down to her own plate.

"So what was your dream about?" Loki asked between mouthfuls.

"I'm sorry?" Lily-Rose asked, looking at him, confused.

"Your dream," he repeated. "That's why you were in my bed, right? You had a nightmare?"

Lily-Rose shook her head. "I did, but I was there because you were moaning in your sleep."

He looked at her, his brow furrowed. "I was?"

She nodded. "You also said 'Thor' and 'Father'." She looked at him. "Did **you** have a bad dream?"

Loki was deep in thought. "_I dreamt about Father? And Thor?" _he thought, his anger rising. _"Why?"_

"Loki?" Her voice jerked him back to the present. "You all right?"

"I did not dream about them," he said firmly. "I hate them." He glared at his plate.

They were both silent for a while, neither of them eating. After a moment, Lily-Rose spoke up. "No, you don't," she whispered.

Loki's glare snapped to her. "What do you mean, no I don't?" he snapped. "You don't know what its like!" He shoved his chair back from the table and stood, towering over her. "For my entire life, I was in Thor's shadow! Always the forgotten son, loved second best, **lied** to about everything! You don't know!" He began pacing back and forth. "You don't have any inclination as to how much I hate and despise them, my _perfect_ brother, my _all-knowing _father. I absolutely hate them!"

He stood there, breathing heavily as he glared at the floor. His hair had fallen forward, partially obscuring his face, his fists clenched tightly.

Lily-Rose stood and put her half empty plate in the sink. "You don't hate them," she said quietly, facing him. "If you did, you wouldn't be calling them 'my brother' or 'my father'."

Without waiting for a reply, she went into her room and shut the door. She leaned against it, hugging her arms to her chest as she sank to the floor. Tears began falling down her cheek. All during his yelling rant, she'd kept herself from crying. Now that she was alone, she let herself weep openly.

She'd always hated it when people yelled, whether directed at her or not. It always made her feel like a helpless little girl. She could take a beating and physical pain, but as soon as someone started yelling, she broke and would start weeping.

As her tears tapered off, she stood and went to her bathroom, where she brushed her teeth and washer her face with cool water. She then ran a brush through her long hair and pulled it back into a pony-tail, the tip tickling the small of her back. Satisfied, she pulled her nightgown over her head and began getting dressed, pulling on a dark purple sweater and thick jeans.

When she walked from her room, she found that Loki was walking outside. Not wanting to disturb him, she began taking down all of her Halloween decorations and boxing them back up. She walked to the garage and pulled down the ladder for the attic. She climbed to the top of the stairs and flicked on the light.

"Lily-Rose?"

She looked down to see Loki staring up at her, contrition written all over his face. "What is it?" she asked, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead. It was sweating in the attic. She pushed her sleeves up above her elbows.

He ran a hand through his hair. "To apologize," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry?" Lily-Rose said, though she heard him perfectly clear.

"I apologize for yelling at you earlier," he said, gazing up into her eyes. "I had no reason to take my anger out on you."

Lily-Rose smiled down at him. "I pushed you," she said, "so its just as much my fault."

They stood that way for a moment longer, her perched on the ladder, him standing at the base. "Would you like help?" he asked, picking up a box.

She smiled, and soon they had all of the Halloween decorations switched with the thanksgiving. As they stood in the front yard, admiring the decorations in the yard as the sun set, he slipped his arm around her. She smiled up at him and did the same, leaning into his lean but firm body.

_**Author's Note: sorry it's so short, but, like I said, the next chapter is going to be really long. Promise! Enjoy and review!**_


	10. Chapter 9

_**Author's Note: **_

_**I am so sorry for the delay! Sudden and extreme writer's block attacked me, and it's taken me this long to finish the chapter. I am sorry! I hope this is as good as I promised. **_

**Chapter Nine**

Loki woke up, yawning as he rumpled his already tangled hair. It was beginning to get out of control as it spilled almost to mid-back. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, stretching his arms above his head, his black cotton shirt straining against his chest. He walked to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. When he saw his reflection in the mirror, he almost yelled.

During his sleep, he had dropped his defenses and had reverted to his Jotun-skin. Electric crimson eyes glared back at him as he snarled, disgusted at his appearance. His skin was tattooed in decorative scars, his hair still jet black as it cascaded down his back. He bared his teeth at his reflection, furious and horrified.

"Loki?"

He pressed himself against the door, not wanting her to see him like this. "What is it?" His voice sounded gravelly, even to his own ears.

"I'm running to the store for some last-minute things," she called through the door. "Do you need anything?"

He closed his eyes, his back against the door. "Uh, no," he said, wincing at his voice. "No, I'm good."

"Are you all right?" she asked, worry lacing her voice. "You sound terrible."

He cleared his throat. "No, just waking up," he called.

"I'll pick up some cough drops anyway," she said, and Loki heard her leave.

He sighed, letting his head fall forward, his hair falling forward into his face. He turned, leaning on the counter, biting his lip. When he raised his head, he glared at his reflection, looking himself in the eye as they slowly changed from crimson to his normal emerald green. As his skin lightened and the tattoos disappeared, he felt his muscles tense and release rapidly.

He glared at himself through the strands of hair, breathing heavily. A haunted look hung about his face as he stood there. _"That form…"_ he thought, gritting his teeth. _"It's disgusting."_

He opened the drawer and began rummaging around. When he found the steel scissors, he clutched them in his fist and slammed them on the counter, still clutching them tightly. He shifted his glare back to his reflection, his lips drawn up into a pained sneer.

The market Lily-Rose usually went to was way beyond crowded with people shopping for last-minute Thanksgiving supplies, so she ended up going to a smaller store that was less popular, and even that was packed. As she parked her car, thunder clapped overhead, and she saw dark clouds rolling in. she glanced up as she tightened her coat around her shoulders. The air temperature had dropped several degrees and the wind had picked up considerably.

She headed inside, glancing around as she grabbed a little cart. She smiled at the older cashier as she passed by, brushing her hair behind her ear. She glanced at her list and grabbed a few cartons of chicken brother before heading to the vegetable aisle. While she was adding onions to her basket, she heard a laugh that sent chills down her back.

_"No…"_ she thought, shaking her head and adding four oranges to the purchase. _"It can't be. You're imagining it."_

She chewed on her lip as she walked to the medical area, trying to avoid bumping into other shoppers as they frantically hurried throughout the store. She smiled at a little girl with blonde curls who was wearing a dark purple dress and white stockings. As lily-rose walked down the aisle, she brushed her hair back, tugging it all around to sweep over her left shoulder. She looked at the selection of cough drops, trying to decide which kind Loki would like more.

_"Watermelon…strawberry…cherry,"_ she thought, biting her bottom lip.

She reached out and plucked a pack of mint-flavored ones from the shelf and considered it. Suddenly, she heard the laughter again, and the bag fell from her hands as a chill went down her spine.

"Would you like that?" said a male voice in the other aisle, and lily-rose almost choked. Slowly, she edged around to peer down the aisle across from her. What she saw almost stopped her heart.

It was a man with his wife. The wife was no one she knew, but the man had haunted lily-rose's nightmares for years. His sandy hair, once long, was now short and bristly. His shoulders were still broad, but he now had a beerbelly straining against the waistband of his pale jeans. As he stood there and laughed, joking with his wife, visions of what the man had done to lily-rose came flooding back to her, fresh in her memory as if it had happened only hours before. She felt every hit he made, heard his words. Everything. She began trembling, her eyes wide and fearful.

He suddenly looked at her, and his grin became sinister and knowing. He recognized her, and knew exactly what was going through her mind. Gasping for air, Lily-Rose dropped the basket and ran toward the exit, wanting to get as far away from the former quarter back as she could. When she reached her car, she struggled to get the door open, dropping the keys. Finally, after scratching the paint on the door, she climbed inside and started the car, the tired squealing as she tore out of the parking lot.

Her chest and throat burned as she choked out gasping sobs, her cheeks dry despite the need to cry. Imaged flashed in her mind, and she was helpless to stop it as she drove. Thunder clamored overhead, and rain came pouring down heavily, splattering loudly against the windshield and roof. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. She bit her bottom lip, biting through the skin and drawing blood.

Her brakes squealed as she stomped on the pedal, skidding to a stop and turning of the car. Finally, as she gazed around at the headstones, tears poured heavily down her cheeks, blinding her as she stumbled out of her car, her jacket sitting on the front seat of the car. She stepped out, directly into a puddle of water, soaking her jeans up to her knees. She still heard his laughter as she ran, her hair flying in drenched clumps behind her, her dark orange shirt becoming soaked-through.

_"You like it this way, don't you?"_ His voice echoed. _"Yeah, you're a little slutty cunt, aren't you?"_

"No…" she moaned as she fell to her knees, sliding to a stop next to the grace. She threw her arms around the headstone, sobbing profusely. "I need you, Gamma," she said between gasps. "I need you so bad!"

Loki slammed the scissors down on the counter as a knock interrupted him. Gritting his teeth, he shook himself, getting all the loose hair off of him as much as he could. The person knocked again.

"I'm coming!" he yelled, going down the hall and to the front door. As he opened it, he grumbled. "What the hell…" He trailed off as he saw who the unexpected guest was. "What…do you want?" He glared, his hands balled into fists.

"Uhm…Lily-Rose invited me for Thanksgiving dinner," Bruce said, holding a bouquet of fall roses in his hand. "Did…she not tell you?"

Loki glared at him. "She's not here," he said, moving to shut the door. "And the dinner isn't for two days. Come back later."

Bruce held out his hand. "Don't you think I should wait?"

"Not really, no," Loki shook his head, his hair flying in damp clumps. He continued to shut the door.

"Uh, you know," Bruce called, stopping Loki again. "I can fix your hair."

"What about it?"

Bruce chuckled under his breath and gave Loki a half smile. "It's uneven and looks like it was hacked with a pair of kitchen sheers," he said.

They stared at each other, almost as if they were sizing each other up. After a few minutes, Loki sighed, pushing the door open to let Bruce in.

"Lily-Rose should be home in a few minutes," Loki said. "She left about two hours ago." He shut the door and turned as Bruce set the cream and rusty orange roses on the coffee table.

Bruce turned towards Loki. "So…" he stood there, seeming almost nervous. "You want me to fix your hack-job?"

Giving him a small glare, Loki lead him to the bathroom and handed him the scissors, feeling foolish as Bruce picked up a water bottle and began spraying his hair down.

"Why?" Lily-Rose sobbed, curled up in front of her grandmother's headstone, leaning against it. "Why can't I escape what was done to me?"

Rain poured down, turning the ground around her to mud. Her clothes were soaked completely through, her hair clinging to her face and neck in rain-drenched waves. Dirt and mud caked her legs from where she was sitting on the ground. She trembled, not from the cold, as she sat there, talking to her grandmother and reliving the torment of her childhood.

"No matter what I do," she said, tears falling steadily, mixing with the raindrops, "I can't ever get away from it. It's always going to be there, haunting me, terrorizing me even when I try to move on."

Thunder clapped overhead, and Lily-Rose curled tighter into a ball. She whimpered, shutting her eyes tightly. As the echo died away, she slowly relaxed her grip on her arms.

"That memory is always there," she said, taking a shaky breath. "And maybe it was my fault? Did I do something wrong? Was I asking for it to happen to me? Was I…was I a bad girl?"

Cold was seeping into her skin, settling deep within her as she closed her eyes.

Loki ran his hand through his hair, enjoying the way it felt. He liked it long, but not as long as it had gotten in the past few months.

"You did a good job," he told Bruce, who was washing his hand meticulously. "Thanks." It tore at him to tell one of his enemies that simple word.

Bruce glanced at him. "After years of cutting my own, I had to learn a few things," he said, chuckling in a nervous way.

Loki nodded, moving by him to his bedroom. He shut the door and pulled off his shirt and pajama pants, tossing them into the laundry basket. His hair, once down to his shoulder blades, not tickled his neck and the tops of his shoulders. He brushed it back, away from his face before he pulled on a black undershirt and black jeans. After that, he moved to the closet and pulled out a dark indigo dress shirt and buttoned it up before walking to the living room, where Bruce was standing next to the fireplace, looking at the pictures of Lily-Rose.

"I cleaned up the bathroom," Bruce said, glancing at Loki before turning back to the pictures.

"Lily-Rose will appreciate that," Loki said, standing near the piano. Bruce continued to gaze at the photos. Loki slowly walked up behind him, staring at the collection of memories.

One was a picture of lily-rose as a little girl, her crimson hair a mass of curls. She was riding a pony, her grandmother at her side. A dark brown cowboy hat was perched on top of lily-rose's curls.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Bruce asked, gazing at a picture of her in a field of flowers, holding a black and white cat, smiling brightly. She was wearing a sky blue shirt that made her eyes shine.

"Yes, she is," Loki replied. He gave Bruce a side-ways look. "You have feelings for her, do you not?"

Bruce looked at him, his brown eyes confused. He watched Loki for a minute, then turned back to the photographs. "I don't know," he said. "I think so."

Lily-rose was curled up in the mud, her eyes closed as she dreamed. Some time during her vocalized thoughts, she had fallen asleep and had slipped over and fallen into the mud. Now, she was unconscious, her body shaking.

_It was cold, snow falling outside as she slowly waked through the house, wearing only a gossamer white nightgown, her hair held back with a white satin ribbon._

_"Hello?" she called, her voice echoing._

_"This way," came a voice, thin and distant._

_She followed the voice, slowly walking to the kitchen. There, she saw her grandmother standing at the stove. She was mixing something in a large glass bowl, smiling and humming._

_"Gamma?" Lily-Rose asked, her voice echoing in the room._

_"There you are, ma petite fleur," she said, and slowly the echoing stopped. She smiled warmly at Lily-Rose. "It's about time you got here."_

_Lily-Rose slowly fell into a kitchen chair. "Gamma, you can't be here," she said. "You're…"_

_"Dead?" Gamma glanced over her shoulder, smiling. "Yes, I know."_

_"But…but then how are you here?"_

_Gamma turned, leaving the bowl on the stove-top. "You have questions, ma petite fleur," she said. "I am here to answer as best I can." Lily-Rose stared at her, eyes wide. "Come, grab that pan from the cabinet."_

_Lily-Rose stood and did as she was told, setting the pan on the counter-top. She stood next to her grandmother, watching her._

_"Well?" gamma urged. "Ask."_

_Lily-Rose took a deep breath. "Why can't I forget?"_

_"Awe, honey," Gamma said, mixing the cookie dough. "It was a traumatic experience. You'll never forget something like that."_

_Lily-Rose sighed, feeling hopeless. "Then what do I do?"_

_Gamma smiled before scooping up a small handful of cookie dough and balling it up. "Learn from it. Look for signs of the same abuse in others and help them," she said, placing the round ball onto the pan._

_Lily-Rose looked away, thinking over her words, biting her bottom lip._

Bruce glanced out the window, looking at the night sky. "Wasn't she supposed to be home a few hours ago?" he asked. "It's still storming."

Loki nodded, holding the telephone in his hands. "I've been called," he said, his eyebrows knitted together. "She hasn't answered."

Bruce turned. "Do you think we should go find her?"

Before Loki could answer, thunder crashed overhead, rattling the windows. The two men shared a look, and headed out the door, running through the rain to Bruce's rented car.

_"You have another question," Gamma prompted as she loaded the oven with the pan of cookie dough._

_Lily-Rose rubbed her arms, marveling at the unmarred skin. "Was…was I bad?" she asked, looking down. "Did I do something to deserve it?"_

_This question seemed to shock her grandmother, who took Lily-Rose into her arms. "Oh, ma petite fleur," she crooned. "No. You did not deserve that. No one does. It was just…just a horrible thing that happened to a wonderful person."_

_Lily-Rose felt tears welling in her eyes as she held her grandmother, inhaling her familiar scent._

"Where would she go?" Bruce asked, driving through the rain.

"Depends on what is going on," Loki answered, looking around.

"Well think," Bruce snapped.

Loki closed his eyes, casting his thoughts around. Sweat began beading on his forehead as he strained.

"Maybe she's at the animal shelter?" Bruce asked.

"Maybe…" Loki mumbled, though he knew she wasn't there.

He was quiet while Bruce drove, straining to think of a place where Lily-Rose would be. _"Where are you, Lily-Rose?"_ he thought. He bit his bottom lip, hard enough to taste blood.

"Are you not worried?" Bruce asked, trying to restrain his temper.

Loki's eyes popped open, and he snapped his emerald glare to Bruce. "Of course, I'm worried!" he growled, his fists clenched tightly.

"Then why aren't you trying?"

Loki growled, shutting his eyes tightly. He began pushing his mind, straining. Sweat beading his face and neck.

_"I love you, Gamma."_

Loki's eyes open as he heard Lily-Rose's voice in his mind. "I know where she is!" he said, giving Bruce directions to the cemetery.

"How do you know?" Bruce asked.

Loki gave him an exasperated look. "Does it really matter?" he demanded. "Drive!"

_"Ma petite fleur, there is something you should know," Gamma said, sitting at the table while they nibbled on chocolate chip cookies._

_"Hmm?" Lily-Rose mumbled, gazing at her grandmother._

_"You need to open yourself up," she said, reaching out and taking hold of Lily-Rose's hand. "Don't be afraid anymore."_

_Lily-Rose smiled. "I love you, Gamma," she said, squeezing her hand._

_"I love you, too, ma petite fleur."_

Bruce's car slid to a stop beside Lily-Rose's, sending mud spraying out. The two men leapt out of the car and began searching the tombstones, the rain soaking through their shirts.

"Where is she?" Bruce called over the storm.

"I'm not sure," Loki yelled back, squinting through the rain. Within moments, his hair was soaked, as were both of his shirts.

"Split up," Bruce said. "I'll check over here."

Loki nodded as he searched through the rows of graves. He heard Bruce calling out Lily-Rose's name in the distance, and he began doing the same, calling her name into the wet darkness.

"Lily-Rose!" he yelled. "Where are you?"

_"Loki?"_

He heard her voice in his head again, and as it began urging him in the right direction, he hurried through the storm, splashing through the mud.

"Keep talking, Lily-Rose," he mumbled, sprinting.

_"Loki, I'm here."_

He spotted her in the middle of the aisle and yelled, "Banner! She's here!"

He slid in the mud and knelt beside her. Her arms were freezing. He stripped is overshirt and wrapped.

Loki?" she whispered, her eyes closing again.

He sat her up against the headstone, holding her upright as Bruce sprinted up to them.

"She's barely conscious and she's freezing," he said, holding her.

Bruce checked her pulse and felt her forehead. "She has a massive fever," he said. "We need to get her to the hospital." He began to pick her up, but Loki pushed his hands out of the way and lifted her.

"Get the car," Loki said. Bruce nodded and ran to his vehicle.

Loki held Lily-Rose bridal-style, her head resting on his shoulder. "You better wake up, Lily-Rose," e said, earning a moan from her. "You better wake up."

Bruce pulled up, easily maneuvering the car so Loki could crawl into the back seat with Lily-Rose. The two of them soaked the seats within moments as Bruce peeled out, the tires failing to catch traction for a moment.

"You might want to hold on," Bruce told the fallen god.

"Just hurry," Loki hissed, holding tightly to a freezing Lily-Rose. "I've got her."

By the time they pulled into the hospital, Lily-Rose's body temp had risen a bit, but her fever was blistering. The doctors and nurses on duty took her from Loki, despite the terrifying glares he gave them. They carried her behind a set of double doors, forcing Loki and Bruce to stay out while they ran tests and tried to bring her to consciousness. The two men began pacing, the only people in the waiting room. They avoided looking at each other and didn't speak. Both men anxiously checked the clock every few paces.

"You were right, you know," Bruce said, startling Loki, who had sat down and had his face hidden in his palms.

"What do you mean?" Loki asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

"You were right about my feelings for Lily-Rose," Bruce said, looking at Loki, who stiffened visibly at him words. "I **do** like her. She in an exceptionally kind-hearted young woman. I've never met anyone so…pure."

Loki stood and faced away from the Avenger, his fists clenched. "I suppose you mean to court her?" he asked in a low voice.

He heard Bruce chuckle. "Yes, I do," he said, cleaning his glasses. "Unless you object."

Loki looked over his shoulder, his eyes like green ice as he glared at Bruce. Strands of hair fell forward, and his snarling sneer only made the look all the more sinister. When he spoke, his voice was pure venom and hatred. "I have** many** objections."

A squat nurse walked up to them, holding a clip board. Her curly gray hair was pulled back into a bun. "Are you both here for Miss DeRusha?" she asked, her voice squeaky.

Both of the men stepped towards her, almost bowling the elder woman over. They started pelting her with questions.

"How is she?" Bruce asked.

"Can we see her?" Loki demanded, his eyes on fire.

"Is she all right?"

"Is she awake?"

"Does she need anything?"

"What can we do?"

The old woman held up both her hands, her lips drawn into a thin line. "If you'll hush up for a moment!" she squeaked. The two men fell silent. She gave them glares and looked back to her clip board. "Miss DeRusha is awake, but still has a fever." The two men opened their moths, and she shushed them. "If you two aren't calmed down, we won't allow you to see her." They closed their mouths, Loki glaring at her, wishing he could turn the old woman into a crow. "She has pneumonia, though a very mild case. She's had it for days, and being out in the rain has only made it worse. If she had waited a few more days, then we would have to keep her here for a few days. As it is," she glanced between them, "she'll have to stay over-night and probably tomorrow, if her fever hasn't reduced by morning. Now, you two think you can remain calm?"

Loki nodded, refusing to look at Bruce.

"Follow me, then," the nurse said, leading them down the blindingly white hallways to Lily-Rose's room. She left them, giving them both stern glares. Both Loki and Bruce reached for the door handle, and after Loki's glare turned icy, Bruce withdrew his hand.

Lily-Rose was propped up in bed, bundled under a small pile of blankets. Her hair was in dry, tangled clumps, and her face was pale. She looked so weak that it made Loki's stomach clench. Still, no matter how terrible she was feeling, she smiled when they walked in.

"Loki," she breathed, her voice raspy. "Bruce. I am so sorry for the trouble you've gone through for me."

Bruce looked nervously pleased as he shuffled his feet.

"How are you feeling?" Loki asked, moving to sit beside her. He took her hand in his, and while it was still cold, it wasn't freezing like before.

She gave him a small grimace.

"That good, huh?" Bruce said, sitting on her other side.

She chuckled a little, then delved into a fit of small coughs. Once she calmed, she sat back against the pillows, her eyes shut tightly.

"You two should go home and change," she said, suppressing more coughs. She moaned, reaching for a glass of water.

"Are you sure?" Bruce asked, standing. When she nodded, he sighed. "We'll be back as soon as we do." He leaned down and kissed her cheek gently. When she blushed, Loki gritted his teeth and glared at Bruce as he moved to the door.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Loki said, turning back to her. She smiled, her cheeks bright with fever.

"Be safe," she told him, squeezing his hand gently.

Smiling ever so slightly, he leaned forward and planted a soft kiss directly on her lips. Her eyes grew round as she stared at him. When he pulled back, he saw something in her eyes that made him smile. "Get some rest," he whispered before he stood and turned. He saw Bruce standing in the doorway, a guarded expression on his face.

"You'll drop me off at the cemetery for her car?" he asked as he swept by Bruce, a smirk tugging at the corners of his curved lips.

Loki stood in his bedroom, stripped down to a fresh pair of jeans. His eyes were shut as he flexed his mind, stretching it outwards. His elation at having his telepathy back was dulled by his concern for Lily-Rose. He had never felt so lost as he did when she was missing.

Now, even though many miles away, he was flexing his mind to check on her while he changed. He felt the consciousness of others flowing through his mind. He paid them no attention, until he came across one that caused him to pause.

Bruce had just returned to the hospital, his hotel being only a few blocks away. Now, he was sitting in an uncomfortable chair, watching Lily-Rose. She was breathing shallowly in her sleep, the monitors beeping softly. Loki watched, through Bruce's eyes, as he traced the curve of her face, the subtle arch of her narrow nose, the curve of her full lips. Her face, while still pale, had flushed cheeks, almost as if she was blushing in her sleep.

_"I wonder what she's dreaming of…_" Bruce thought as her eyes moved beneath their lids. A moment later, he got his answer.

"Loki…" she moaned in her sleep, turning her head away, her hair falling into her face.

Curiosity got the better of him, and Loki felt himself slip into Lily-Rose's mind. What he saw shocked him.

They were standing in the middle of a frozen field of wild flowers, the stems and petals encased in glittering ice. The entire scene seemed to glow in a frozen blue hue, sparkling in the odd light. Loki saw himself there, standing in a dark trench coat, snow flakes lilting around his body. He had one hand in his pocket, the other resting at his side.

It was strange to see himself through Lily-Rose's eyes, even if it was a dream. His eyes seemed to glow en electrifying emerald, gleaming against his skin. His hair was a glistening raven, brushed back the way he usually wore it.

_"Is this how she really sees me?"_ Loki wondered, marveling at her perception of him. She didn't see him as the monster he was.

Suddenly, Lily-Rose walked into the scene. Loki was almost horrified at the way she saw herself. Her dream had captured none of her beauty. She thought herself plain and unimportant, easily forgotten, damaged.

The two began to close the distance across the field, Lily-Rose's golden dress shining in the light. Her fingers trailed along the icy flowers, brushing them tenderly, her eyes on dream Loki. Finally, they met in the center of the field.

"Lily-Rose," dream Loki spoke, and his voice was a rich, velvety purr. He traced a finger down her cheek, sending shivers through her.

She smiled shyly up at him, her hair falling in waves down her back. "Loki," she whispered. She had a hand resting on his chest, feeling his heart beating beneath her palm.

They slowly inclined toward each other, their lips meeting softly, and fireworks began exploding throughout the dream.

Loki pulled himself out of the dream, gasping slightly. He sat on his bed, his eyes wide in amazement. He placed a hand to his forehead, his temple throbbing slightly. He was amazed at Lily-Rose's perception of everything, though her dream confused him greatly.

"How…how am I supposed to feel?" he asked aloud.

He thought back to dancing with her at the Halloween party. When she was in his arms, no one else existed. She was always patient with him, even when he was furious. She wasn't afraid of him, despite witnessing him nearly kill Derek.

"What am I feeling?"

He thought back to earlier that day. The fear he felt when he saw her lying on the grave nearly choked him. And when Bruce announced that he wished to begin courting Lily-Rose, Loki saw red. Fury had ripped through him, a roaring monster that screamed for the doctor's blood. When Bruce had kissed her cheek, that only made Loki want to tear him to shreds more.

"What **is** this?" he wondered. "Why am I…feeling this?"

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Again, sorry for the delay. I'm not sure how I like parts of this chapter. I promise, next one will be better. **_

_**Also, please remember, this is my perception of how the characters will act. I know some actions are out of character from the movies/comics, but it seemed to suit the way this story is unfolding. Anyway, please review!**_


End file.
